About the service: Everycare Romford is a domiciliary care agency that was providing personal care to five people at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

There were mixed views on the care provided by Everycare Romford. One person was unimpressed by the service provided and chose to seek care elsewhere. Other people using the service were happier with the care they received and felt the standard of care was good. Everyone thought highly of the registered manager (who has since resigned) and that they provided good support. People and staff informed us that the service was short of staff and this impacted on the care people received and the service provided.

Medicines were not always recorded and managed properly. Lessons were not always learned when things went wrong. We have made a recommendation about monitoring of accidents and incidents. Risks to people were not always recorded or identified. People told us staff were not always on time. Staff were recruited with people’s safety in mind. There were safeguarding processes in place and staff knew what to do if they suspected abuse. Infection control measures were in place.

There were mixed views of staff skills. Staff were not always supervised on time. They told us they received inductions though there was no specific documentation for these. We made a recommendation about recording staff inductions. Staff completed foundation level training in social care. People’s needs were assessed before they started using the service. They were supported to eat and drink. Staff communicated effectively with each other about people’s needs. People were supported to lead healthier lives. We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and found them to be compliant.

People told us that staff were kind and caring. People were supported to express their views and were involved in decision making about their care. People’s privacy was respected and their independence promoted.

People’s needs and preferences were recorded in detailed care plans and they received personalised care. People completed activities they liked to with staff supporting them. They were able to make complaints and the provider responded to them.

The provider did not complete any audits or spot checks but told us they would begin doing so. We have made a recommendation about quality assurance. The registered manager did not feel supported in their role. They told us they felt they could not complete their responsibilities as they were often required to take on caring responsibilities. There were no meetings held but the provider felt confident they captured people’s, relatives and staff views. No one had completed satisfaction surveys, but the provider was going to send some out to people. The service worked in partnership with others.

Rating at last inspection: This is the service’s first inspection.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on our scheduling of regulated services.

Follow up: We identified a breach of regulation relating to safe care and treatment. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report. We have also made recommendations in this report that will be followed up at our next inspection. We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about this service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.