Quality Healthcare Professionals Ltd, a small domiciliary care service supporting 2 people, received a Good rating across all five key questions at its first CQC inspection. The service demonstrated strong personalised care, safe medicines management, robust recruitment practices and effective leadership by a hands-on registered manager.
Strengths
· People and relatives found staff and the registered manager kind, caring and respectful, with continuity of care through consistent staff allocation.
· Comprehensive pre-employment checks including DBS, references, employment history and overseas police checks where applicable.
· Medicines management supported by trained staff, competency checks and a computerised system that flagged missed administrations.
· Registered manager proactively managed staffing capacity, only accepting new care packages within safe staffing limits.
· Strong partnership working with healthcare professionals, with staff proactively alerting clinicians to changes in people's health.
Quality-Statement breakdown (20)
safe: Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuseGood
safe: Assessing risk, safety monitoring and management; Learning lessons when things go wrongGood
safe: Staffing and recruitmentGood
safe: Using medicines safelyGood
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionGood
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 dietGood
effective: Staff working with other agencies to provide consistent, effective, timely care; Supporting people to live healthier livesGood
effective: Ensuring consent to care and treatment in line with law and guidanceGood
caring: Ensuring people are well treated and supported; respecting equality and diversity; Supporting people to express their viewsGood
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 supportGood
well-led: Promoting a positive culture that is person-centred, open, inclusive and empoweringGood
well-led: How the provider understands and acts on the duty of candourGood
well-led: Managers and staff being clear about their roles, and understanding quality performance, risks and regulatory requirementsGood
well-led: Engaging and involving people using the service, the public and staff; Working in partnership with othersGood