About the service:

Unicorn1care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection, 23 people were using the service. Of those 23 people, 17 received personal care and the remainder received help in the home or companionship services. We only looked at the service for people receiving personal care as this is the activity that is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

People's experience of using this service:

People who received care from Unicorn1care Ltd told us they felt safe and supported by staff who visited them. Staff were punctual and consistent at carrying out visits with people in a person-centred manner. People were supported to continue living at home in a way that enabled them to be as independent as possible.

The registered manager had not ensured that certain areas of the service were always safe. We found that medicines were not always managed safely because records were not always correct or audited.

Recruitment checks of new staff had not been completed consistently. One staff member had not been recruited safely in line with the requirements of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 Schedule 3.

Not all people's care plans were person-centred. Care records documenting people's long-term conditions such as diabetes was limited. We have made a recommendation that the provider seeks guidance and advice from a reputable source, in relation to personalised care planning

We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We found the service ensured staff received training in respect of the MCA. However, we found consent forms were signed by family members of the people who lack the appropriate authority.

People and relatives described staff as caring and kind towards them. Staff were approachable and friendly with people they cared for and knew them well.

Staff enjoyed working at the service and said the registered manager and team leaders were approachable.

We identified two breaches of the regulations. Safe recruitment practices were not always followed and governance systems were not effective. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

Rating at last inspection:

The service was first registered with the CQC in May 2018. This was our first inspection of this service.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection in line with CQC’s guidelines to inspect all new services within 12 months of registration.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

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