Archived: Willatt Care Also known as Willatt Care

Updated 2 June 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The Inspection was carried out by two inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses. This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. We visited the office location on 21 April 2022 to meet with the registered manager, office staff and care staff. We spoke with people who used the service and staff by telephone.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During the inspection, we spoke with nine people who used the service, to ask about their experience of the care provided and eight family members. We spoke with seven members of staff, which included the registered manager, senior staff and care staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed. We also spoke with a visiting healthcare professional.

Updated 2 June 2022

About the service

Willatt Care is a home care service registered to provide personal care. People are supported with their personal care needs to enable them to live in their own homes and promote their independence. At the time of the inspection the service supported 14 people. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Medicines were not always managed safely. Systems for monitoring medication stocks needed to be improved. Further protocols were required for managing controlled drugs. Audits of medication were not robust enough to monitor quality and safety.

There were insufficient infection prevention control systems in place for ensuring staff had completed twice weekly COVID-19 tests in line with government policy.

Some risks to people were not always mitigated, care plan's did not always contain the most up to date details regarding best practice when supporting people with specific health needs. Policies and procedures, the training matrix and staffing folders were not always up to date and the provider had not notified us of all significant events.

The provider acted quickly and took appropriate action to mitigate these risks. New systems and updates were implemented in a timely manner. These will be reviewed on the next inspection.

Medicines were managed safely by suitably trained staff. People were offered and received pain relief medication. Staff used personal protective equipment (PPE) effectively and had attended infection prevention control training.

People told us they felt safe with the care provided and with the carers supporting them. They said they received care from kind and compassionate staff members. Relatives and staff told us they felt involved in the service and able to express their opinions and make suggestions to improve the care provided. Relatives said the care received was person-centred care and told us how the staff encouraged people to be independent.

People’s needs, choices and preferences were assessed and recorded in detailed care plans. This included people’s dietary needs and requirements. End of life care plans were detailed and included people preferences and wishes. Times of care calls were altered to assist people to maintain relationships with others.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff were recruited safely. There were enough staff to support people safely and people had their calls on time. Staff understood what was meant by abuse and they were confident about how to report poor practice. Staff told us they felt supported by the registered manager and received regular supervisions.

Accident and incident forms were investigated by the management team. Lessons learnt were shared with the staff team.

People and staff told us they had confidence in the registered manager and the management team. The organisation promoted a positive culture and worked in partnership to deliver good outcomes for people.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 08 October 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about staffing, training and care practices. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.