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Care Services

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Focus Care Link, London.

Focus Care Link in London is a Homecare agencies specialising in the provision of services relating to caring for adults over 65 yrs, caring for adults under 65 yrs, caring for people whose rights are restricted under the mental health act, dementia, eating disorders, learning disabilities, mental health conditions, personal care, physical disabilities, sensory impairments and substance misuse problems. The last inspection date here was 2nd May 2018

Focus Care Link is managed by Focus Care Link Limited who are also responsible for 1 other location

Contact Details:

Ratings:

For a guide to the ratings, click here.

Safe: Good
Effective: Good
Caring: Good
Responsive: Good
Well-Led: Good
Overall: Good

Further Details:

Important Dates:

    Last Inspection 2018-05-02
    Last Published 2018-05-02

Local Authority:

    Camden

Link to this page:

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Inspection Reports:

Click the title bar on any of the report introductions below to read the full entry. If there is a PDF icon, click it to download the full report.

10th November 2017 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

Focus Care Link is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to younger and older adults. Not everyone using Focus Care Link receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of this inspection over 100 people were receiving personal care from the service. People who use the service live in Camden, Islington, Barnet and the surrounding areas.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

When we last visited the service on 7 and 8 July 2017 the service was rated Good overall, with a ‘Requires Improvement’ rating in the safe question. This was because individual risks to people were not always assessed and medicines were not always managed safely.

At this inspection we found that the service had made improvements to ensure people were safe. People told us they felt safe with care workers from Focus Care Link. People had up to date risk assessments in place which included guidance for care workers on how to reduce and manage risk. Medicines were well managed and recorded. The service had followed safe recruitment processes to ensure they only employed suitable staff. Care workers were aware of their duties in relation to infection control when working in people's homes. Care workers had received training in safeguarding adults and understood their responsibilities to identify and report any concerns.

We received mixed feedback from people receiving care. Some told us staff arrived on time, and others said this was not always the case. The registered manager acknowledged that punctuality was an area the service was always seeking to improve and she shared with us the various improvement strategies that had been introduced to improve punctuality.

The service carried out appropriate pre-employment checks to ensure only suitable staff worked at the service. References and security checks were carried out as required.

Care workers received regular supervision and appraisals that helped them to perform their duties. They also received spot checks from care coordinators whilst they were working with people.

Care workers understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and we found that people's consent was sought before the service provided care to them.

People's nutritional needs were met by care workers who would cook meals for those who required this type of support.

The service supported people to access healthcare services. Staff sought healthcare professional advice and input when needed.

Care workers were kind and caring. People receiving care and their relatives told us care workers were considerate and respectful. People were involved in planning their care and support.

People received care in line with their assessed needs. The service reviewed people's needs and ensured care workers had sufficient guidance to meet their changing needs.

People had opportunities to share their views about the service. The service acted on people’s feedback to improve service delivery. People knew how to make a complaint should they need to.

The registered manager used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of service provided to people. These included regular internal audits of the service, surveys and spot checks to seek the views of people about the quality of care being provided.

7th July 2016 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

This inspection took place on 7 and 8 July 2016. The first day of the inspection was unannounced as we had received information of concern regarding the service from an anonymous source. We had been informed that care plans were not reviewed, staff did not have a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check prior to commencing employment, staff were not trained and people did not always receive visits. When we last inspected this service on 6 August 2014 we found the service met all the regulations we looked at.

Focus Care Link is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes primarily in the North London boroughs of Camden, Islington and Barnet. At the time of the inspection, there were 169 people using the service. The service employs 106 care staff.

The service had a registered manager who was also the registered provider. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Risks were not always adequately assessed for people using the service. During the inspection we identified risks to people which had not been identified by the provider. General risk assessments were in place and were reviewed regularly.

Medicines were not always safely managed. There were inconsistencies between what care plans and medicines risk assessments stated as to what medicines support people received. Daily records completed by staff in relation to medicines support people received differed from what instructions were given as part of the care plan.

People and relatives told us they felt safe. Procedures and policies relating to safeguarding people from harm were in place and accessible to staff. All staff had completed training in safeguarding adults and demonstrated an understanding of the types of abuse to look out for and how to raise safeguarding concerns.

The service maintained sufficient staffing levels and people told us that carers generally arrived on time. The service monitored late and missed calls and took action when necessary.

The provider obtained consent for care in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff had received training in MCA.

Complaints were logged and monitored for trends and learning points identified were actioned.

Person centred care plans were recently implemented which were comprehensive and reflected what was important to the person. Care needs were regularly reviewed and updated to meet the changing needs of people who used the service.

We saw evidence of a comprehensive staff induction and on-going training programme. Staff were also safely recruited with necessary pre-employment checks carried out. Staff received regular supervisions and annual appraisals.

The management team enabled an open culture that encouraged staff and people to discuss issues and ideas. People were given the opportunity to provide feedback at service user forums and through an annual survey.

The provider had a quality monitoring system in place to ensure standards of service were maintained and improved.

6th August 2014 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

The focus of the inspection was to answer five key questions; is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our inspection team was made up of one inspector. As part of this inspection we spoke with seven people who used the service, two relatives, the registered manager and three care staff. We also reviewed records relating to the management of the home which included four care plans and four staff files.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us and the records we looked at.

Is the service safe?

There were detailed care plans for each person who used the service, which included risk assessments. There was an out of hour’s phone number to deal with emergencies. Staff had emergency first aid training.

Is the service effective?

The service undertook assessments with the person who used the service or a relative to identify their support needs. People who used the service gave written and verbal consent for the care they received.

Is the service caring?

People who used the service or a relative had been involved in decisions about their care and support. Staff supported people and advised them, but allowed the person who used the service to make the final decision. A person who used the service told us, “They are patient, kind and nice to me.”

Is the service responsive?

The service liaised with other health professionals to meet the needs of people who used the service. People’s individual needs had been assessed and staff were aware of their needs. People who used the service knew how to make a complaint, although none had been made in the past year.

Is the service well-led?

The service was using the skills and knowledge of staff members to provide the required service to meet people's needs. Staff meetings were being held regularly and the staff we spoke with confirmed they felt able to make suggestions and voice concerns.

There were processes to monitor and improve the quality of service delivery such as an annual service user questionnaire.

13th February 2014 - During an inspection in response to concerns pdf icon

We inspected the provider on the 13 February, having received information of concern regarding the service from an anonymous source. We had been informed that there were irregularities with the care records of people using the service. Specifically, we were told that during reviews of people’s care, their signatures confirming agreement with the care plans were being forged by staff members.

We were also told that there were discrepancies regarding Criminal Records Bureau (CRB, now the Disclosure and Barring Service) checks of care workers employed by the provider.

We spoke with the registered manager and three field co-ordinators. We randomly selected the care records of people using the service for inspection and looked at other records regarding the service. We found no evidence of people’s care records being improperly maintained or of any concerns relating to staff CRB checks.

19th August 2013 - During an inspection in response to concerns pdf icon

We carried out this inspection on the 19 August 2013. We had received information suggesting that new recruits had limited English skills which affected their training and induction. In addition, the general quality of training given to new staff by the provider had been called into question. We were also informed that some new staff members started work before their DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service, formerly Criminal Records Bureau) checks had been completed.

We spoke with the registered manager, an administrator and a care co-ordinator and looked at records of the recruitment process, staff files and training records.

We found evidence to show that the information given to us was unsubstantiated and that the provider was meeting the relevant standards.

23rd November 2012 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

Our inspection was carried out over two days. We visited the provider’s office on the 8th November, looking at records of people using the service, staff files and other records relating to the service. We spoke with the manager and deputy manager and interviewed two care workers employed by the provider. We then contacted six people using the service by telephone and spoke with five more care workers. We returned on the 23rd November to follow up issues we discussed on the telephone and to give the manager feedback on the inspection.

One person told us they were “very happy with the service.” Another said the care workers were “polite and never rude.” A relative said they “certainly had no complaints about the service.”

During our inspection, it was established that one of the care workers employed by the provider was using a false identity, which showed a failing with the provider’s existing procedure for vetting prospective workers. The worker was immediately dismissed and the police informed. We were told that a new, more robust, procedure had been introduced.

The provider had a thorough induction process for new members of staff and an ongoing training programme. Staff felt well supported by management.

1st January 1970 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

We visited the provider’s office on the 3rd and 12th April 2013. We looked at records regarding the care and support people received, a number of staff files and other records relating to the service. We spoke with the manager and several office staff. We then contacted 12 people who use the service by telephone and spoke with eight care workers.

A person using the service told us, “The care is very good” and that the care workers “Are kind and friendly.” Another person said, “Yes, the care plan meets my needs. If I need it changed, I know I can speak to the office and they’ll sort it for me.”

At our last inspection, in November 2012, we identified that one of the carers employed by the provider was using a false identity. Accordingly, we set a compliance action regarding the provider’s recruitment procedure. At this inspection we saw that the procedure had been improved and that satisfactory checks were carried out, to comply with the action and the requirements of Regulation 21 (a) and (b) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010.

The provider had a thorough induction process for new members of staff and an ongoing training programme. Staff were happy in their work and told us they were well supported by management.

There was an effective system for monitoring the quality of the service and obtaining feedback from people using the service.

 

 

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