City Carers, a small newly registered domiciliary care agency supporting three people, was rated Good across all five key questions at its first inspection. CQC recommended the service strengthen governance audits and ensure records (e.g. spot checks, incident lessons learned) are fully embedded and dated.
Concerns (3)
minor
Governance
: “audits and checks were not yet fully established... had only recently been carried out and had not been embedded in practice.”
minorIncident learning: “we... noted that there was a lack of information about lessons to be learnt following an incident/accident.”
minorRecord keeping: “we noted that these were not always dated so it was not always clear when these were carried out.”
Strengths
· Care workers were kind, respectful and built strong rapport with people, with relatives praising their gentleness and patience
· Person-centred care plans developed with people and representatives, including risk assessments and environmental risks
· Safe recruitment practices including references and DBS checks
· Care workers matched to people's cultural, religious and language preferences (e.g. Somali speakers)
· Punctual visits with no missed visits and proactive communication if delayed
Quality-Statement breakdown (22)
safe: Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuseGood
safe: Assessing risk, safety monitoring and managementGood
safe: Staffing and recruitmentGood
safe: Using medicines safelyNot rated
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionGood
safe: Learning lessons when things go wrongGood
effective: Assessing people's needs and choices; delivering care in line with standards, guidance and the lawGood
effective: Staff support: induction, training, skills and experienceGood
effective: Supporting people to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced dietNot rated
effective: Staff working with other agencies; supporting people to access healthcareGood
effective: Ensuring consent to care and treatment in line with law and guidanceGood
caring: Ensuring people are well treated and supported; respecting equality and diversityGood
caring: Supporting people to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their careGood
caring: Respecting and promoting people's privacy, dignity and independenceGood
responsive: Planning personalised care to ensure people have choice and control and to meet their needs and preferencesGood
responsive: Meeting people's communication needsGood
responsive: Improving care quality in response to complaints or concernsGood
responsive: End of life care and supportNot rated
well-led: Managers and staff being clear about their roles; continuous learning and improving careGood
well-led: Promoting a positive culture that is person-centred, open, inclusive and empoweringGood
well-led: Duty of candour; understanding quality performance, risks and regulatory requirementsGood
well-led: Engaging and involving people, public and staff; working in partnership with othersGood