LIVE-IN CARE 2024 – What are the benefits of using a CQC-registered live-in care provider?

The main benefit of using a CQC-registered live-in care provider is that they are under a legal obligation to uphold a wide range of rigorous care and quality standards. This means they are duty-bound to provide you or your loved one with a high standard of care. It also means you have the support and backing of a powerful industry regulator if these standards aren’t met.

It is a legal requirement for all companies and charities which provide live-in carers responsible for administering medication or providing personal care to be registered with the CQC (Care Quality Commission). If they are not registered, they are breaking the law and should not be operating as a care provider.

There are 13 fundamental standards laid down by the CQC, which registered care providers must comply with at all times. The CQC regularly checks that providers are compliant thorough a combination of on-site inspections and digital monitoring. Clients of Chesterford Homecare will be reassured to know that Chesterford Homecare have been deemed fully compliant and hold a CQC rating of Good.

General comment in relation to this page: the comments under each Standard are a bit small compare to the size of the copy in which the Standards themselves are written – would you be able to increase the font size of the comments a bit They are tiny compared with the list of standards themselves?

1. Person-centred care – You must have care or treatment that is tailored to you and meets your needs and preferences.

Before providing care for a new client, we always meet them face to face to assess their needs – with a family member welcome to attend if they so wish. This enables us to tailor our service to meet their specific requirements. A detailed plan of care is then produced and agreed with the client and a hard copy given to them for future reference. Should the client so wish, a trusted family member can be given digital access to the care plan and to our daily care notes, so that they can keep an eye on the care being provided for their loved one, even without actually being there! This service is popular with many of our clients and is particularly appreciated by family members who live too far away to visit their loved one more than once every few weeks.

2. Dignity and respect – You must be treated with dignity and respect at all times while you’re receiving care and treatment. This includes privacy when you need and want it, being treated as an equal and being given any support you need to help you remain independent and involved in your local community.

As part of our bespoke service, we want to ensure that those who continue living at home can also remain part of their local community. We can discuss the events and activities you or your loved ones would like to attend and how we can provide support in terms of transport – it may mean having a carer who drives and has their own car.

3. Consent – You (or anybody legally acting on your behalf) must give your consent before any care or treatment is given to you.

Our carers and managers will work with GP’s and other healthcare practitioners to ensure that consent is always given for any treatment and we will always liaise closely with families and next of kin.

4. Safety – You must not be given unsafe care or treatment or be put at risk of harm that could be avoided. Providers must assess the risks to your health and safety during any care or treatment and make sure their staff have the qualifications, competence, skills and experience to keep you safe.

Risk assessments and safety protocols form part of our team’s training. You will only be provided with a live-in carer who has the skills required to look after you or your loved one.

5. Safeguarding from abuse – You must not suffer any form of abuse or improper treatment while receiving care. This includes: neglect, degrading treatment, unnecessary or disproportionate restraint and any inappropriate limits on your freedom.

All our live-in carers are formally vetted, a process which requires them to verify their identity, undergo a police and criminal records (DBS) check and provide satisfactory references from their last two employers.

6. Food and drink – You must have enough to eat and drink to keep you in good health while you receive care and treatment.

Depending on the kind of live-in care required, our carers help with tasks like shopping and cooking to ensure our clients receive a nutritious and well balanced diet.

7. Premises and equipment – The places where you receive care and treatment and the equipment used in it must be clean, suitable and well maintained. The equipment used in your care and treatment must also be secure and used properly by live-in carers.

We will work with our clients and their families to ensure all the necessary equipment, such as walkers, stair lifts, hoists etc., are in good working order and our staff are fully trained to use them safely.

8. Complaints – You must be able to complain about your care and treatment. The provider of your care must have a system in place so they can handle and respond to your complaint. They must investigate it thoroughly and take action if problems are identified.

If you have any concerns or complaints you can put them in writing to Chesterford Homecare, Eagle Stile, Rectory Farm Barns, Little Chesterford, Essex CB10 1UD, phone 01799 530780 or email: support@chesterfordhomecare.co.uk. You will receive an acknowledgement of your complaint within 5 working days and a detailed response within 28 days.

9. Good governance – The provider of your care must have plans that ensure they can meet these standards. They must have effective governance and systems to check on the quality and safety of care. These must help the service improve and reduce any risks to your health, safety and welfare.

Our management team has over 50 years of combined experience in health and social care and Chesterford Homecare itself has been operating for nearly 10 years now.  Constantly striving to improve the standard of care we provide has been  our number one priority since day one.

10. Staffing – The provider of your care must have enough suitably qualified, competent and experienced staff to make sure they can meet these standards. Their staff must be given the support, training and supervision they need to help them do their job.

11. Fit and proper staff – The provider of your care must only employ people who can provide care and treatment appropriate to their role. They must have strong and robust recruitment procedures in place and carry out relevant checks, in particular, a police and criminal records check (DBS) and verification of previous work history.

Chesterford Homecare is a small regional company based in the East of England and provides live-in care for older people living in Essex, Cambridge, Suffolk and Hertfordshire. All our staff are thoroughly vetted and DBS checked. We enjoy low staff turnover because of the importance we attach to initial training, job satisfaction and continuing professional development.

12. Duty of candour – The provider of your care must be open and transparent with you about your care and treatment. Should something go wrong, they must tell you what has happened, provide support and apologise.

We form very strong relationships with our clients. Our staff and management team will liaise with families in all circumstances to ensure nothing remains unknown or unnoticed. We have stringent processes for any issues, so that families are informed and supported.

13. Display of ratings – The provider of your care must display their CQC rating in a place where you can see it. They must also include this information on their website and make their latest report on their service available to you.

Chesterford Homecare has a CQC rating of good – you can find the details and access the full report  here.

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