About the Role
Lean On Me Care Services is seeking a Quality Assurance Officer to help ensure the delivery of safe, effective and person-centred domiciliary care.
The role will focus on monitoring quality standards, auditing compliance, reviewing medication management, conducting quality assurance visits and supporting continuous improvement across the service.
The successful candidate will work closely with the Registered Manager, Operations Manager and wider management team to identify risks, monitor operational processes and promote consistently high standards of care.
As part of the normal working week, the Quality Assurance Officer will spend one day each week undertaking care calls. This regular frontline presence will help strengthen relationships between management and care staff, provide an informed understanding of day-to-day service delivery and support effective quality and compliance monitoring.
Lean On Me Care Services operates 365 days a year. The postholder must therefore be flexible and willing to provide operational cover, including undertaking care calls, when reasonably required by the needs of the business.
Key Responsibilities
Quality Assurance and Compliance
- Carry out regular quality assurance audits across all areas of the service.
- Audit care plans to ensure information is accurate, current and person-centred.
- Monitor compliance with company policies, procedures, CQC Fundamental Standards and relevant legislation.
- Review daily care records, Medication Administration Records and other care documentation for accuracy and completeness.
- Check the quality of work completed by Care Coordinators, Field Supervisors and Training Assistants.
- Identify trends, risks and areas requiring improvement.
- Produce quality assurance reports, recommendations and action plans.
- Monitor corrective actions and complete re-audits to confirm that improvements are effective and sustained.
- Support preparations for CQC inspections and other regulatory audits.
- Maintain controlled audit records, quality trackers and supporting evidence.
Service User Quality Monitoring
- Conduct quality monitoring visits in service users’ homes.
- Complete telephone quality reviews with service users and their families or representatives.
- Gather feedback about the quality and consistency of care being delivered.
- Encourage service users and their families to contribute to service improvement.
- Escalate concerns identified during quality monitoring to the Registered Manager and Operations Manager.
Staff Quality Monitoring
- Carry out observations and spot checks of care staff while they are delivering care.
- Assess staff competence and adherence to care plans, policies and procedures.
- Provide professional and constructive feedback following observations.
- Identify staff training, support or development needs.
- Monitor whether agreed improvements have been implemented.
- Build positive working relationships between management, office staff and frontline care staff.
Weekly Care Calls and Operational Cover
- Undertake care calls for one day each week as part of the normal role.
- Use frontline experience to support quality monitoring and maintain an informed understanding of service delivery.
- Provide operational cover, including undertaking additional care calls, when required to maintain safe and continuous care.
- Work within personal competence, completed training and the organisation’s scheduling arrangements.
- Recognise that the service operates 365 days a year and be flexible to support operational requirements.
- Be available for occasional evening, weekend or bank holiday work where reasonably required and scheduled.
To maintain appropriate independence, the postholder should not normally complete a formal audit of care they have personally delivered without independent review or suitable separation of responsibilities.
Medication Auditing
- Conduct medication audits across the service.
- Audit Medication Administration Records for accuracy, completeness and compliance.
- Review medication storage, stock levels and expiry dates.
- Audit regular medication, PRN medication, topical creams and medication returns.
- Review medication stock sheets, return records and supporting documentation.
- Identify medication errors, omissions, trends and areas of non-compliance.
- Escalate medication concerns promptly to the Registered Manager and Operations Manager.
- Produce medication audit reports and recommendations to improve safety and reduce risk.
Incident, Safeguarding and Risk Auditing
- Audit accident, incident, safeguarding and complaint records.
- Ensure investigations, follow-up actions and outcomes are properly documented.
- Audit risk assessments to confirm they are current and reflect service users’ needs.
- Monitor compliance logs, quality trackers and governance records.
- Analyse trends involving incidents, safeguarding concerns, complaints, medication errors, missed calls, call duration and other quality indicators.
- Recommend improvements to reduce future risks.
- Escalate serious, repeated, concealed or unresolved concerns appropriately.
Training and Staff Compliance
- Audit staff training records to ensure mandatory and role-specific training is complete and accurately recorded.
- Monitor staff files to ensure required compliance documentation is complete and current.
- Check that identified training or competency concerns are followed up appropriately.
- Support staff with quality and compliance-related queries.
Continuous Improvement
- Support the development and implementation of quality improvement plans.
- Promote best practice throughout the organisation.
- Assist with service-development projects and the introduction of new policies, procedures and governance systems.
- Share learning from audits, incidents, complaints and compliance reviews.
- Monitor improvement actions to ensure changes are effective and sustained.
- Participate in management meetings and quality improvement discussions.
Administration and Communication
- Maintain accurate audit and quality assurance records.
- Prepare monthly quality assurance and compliance reports.
- Update audit schedules, compliance trackers and quality improvement plans.
- Maintain confidentiality in accordance with UK GDPR and company policies.
- Communicate audit findings and recommendations professionally.
- Build positive professional relationships with service users, families, care staff, office staff, healthcare professionals, local authorities, CQC inspectors and other external professionals.
Essential Experience and Skills
- Experience in adult social care, domiciliary care, quality assurance or compliance.
- Good knowledge of CQC regulations and Fundamental Standards.
- Strong auditing, evidence-evaluation and report-writing skills.
- Ability to analyse information and identify risks, trends and areas for improvement.
- Confidence in providing constructive feedback and professionally challenging unsafe or non-compliant practice.
- Good written, verbal and organisational skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a management team.
- A strong commitment to person-centred care and continuous improvement.
Desirable
- A recognised quality assurance, auditing or adult social care qualification.
- Detailed knowledge of medication governance, safeguarding and information governance.
- Previous experience preparing for CQC inspections.
- Experience using electronic care-management and audit systems.
Employment Requirements
- Enhanced DBS clearance.
- Right to work in the UK.
- Completion of mandatory induction and refresher training.
- Ability to undertake the practical requirements of the role, with reasonable adjustments considered where appropriate.
- A valid driving licence, access to a suitable vehicle and business-use insurance where community travel is required, unless an agreed reasonable adjustment applies.
- Commitment to safeguarding, confidentiality, equality, diversity, health and safety, infection prevention, lone-working and professional boundaries.
General Responsibilities
- Work in accordance with company policies, procedures and values.
- Promote equality, diversity, inclusion and accessible care.
- Maintain professional standards and confidentiality.
- Participate in supervision, appraisal and continuing professional development.
- Report accidents, incidents, near misses, safeguarding concerns, complaints, data breaches and unsafe practices through the correct escalation route.
- Undertake other reasonable duties requested by the Registered Manager or Operations Manager.
This job description outlines the principal responsibilities of the position. Duties may be reasonably reviewed following consultation to reflect service needs, competence and regulatory or organisational changes.
Pay: £14.50-£15.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
- Store discount
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (required)
Work Location: In person
