Archived: Allied Healthcare Barnstaple

Updated 28 January 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place over three days on 1, 2 and 3 December 2015. The inspection was announced and we gave 48 hours notice. This was because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to make sure the registered manager would be available during our visits.

The inspection team consisted of two adult social care inspectors and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service.

Before the inspection, we looked at the information we held about the service. This included notifications the service had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. The provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asked the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and the improvements they plan to make. The Care Quality Commission sought feedback via a questionnaire to people and their relatives, health and social care professionals and staff to gain their views of the service provided. We sent 50 questionnaires to people and their relatives of which 20 were returned, 8 to health and social care professionals of which none were returned and 35 to staff of which 7 were returned.

During our inspection we spoke with 17 people receiving a service, of which nine were visited in their own homes. We spoke with five family members, one friend and 14 members of staff which included the registered manager, two care co-ordinators, a field care supervisor and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and how the service was managed. These included eight people’s care and medicine records, eight staff recruitment files, staff training records, minutes of meetings, complaints/compliments and a selection of policies and procedures relating to the management of the service. Following our visit we sought feedback from six health and social care professionals to obtain their views of the service provided to people. They did not respond to our request for information.

Updated 28 January 2016

This inspection took place over three days on 1, 2 and 3 December 2015. The inspection was announced and we gave 48 hours notice. This was because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to make sure the registered manager would be available during our visits.

We previously inspected this service on 4 and 5 February 2014 and judged the five key areas we looked at compliant.

Allied Healthcare Barnstaple provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes in the North Devon areas of Barnstaple, Bideford, Ilfracombe and the surrounding areas. At the time of our inspection there were approximately 107 people receiving a service. The times of care visits ranged from 15 minutes to two hours. The frequency of care visits ranged from two to 28 visits per week.

There was a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the HSCA and associated regulations about how the service is run.

Staff were recruited safely and received the appropriate training and supervision to do their jobs properly. Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect so people felt safe and cared for in their homes. Staff received training on, and understood the principles of, the Mental Capacity Act (2005). However, there was not always enough care staff at Allied Healthcare Barnstaple to care and support people safely and meet their needs in a timely way. This resulted in late calls and care staff being rushed. Care staff and the management team worked extra hours to cover the shortfalls.

People were asked for their consent from care staff before any care or support was given. People felt safe with their regular team of care staff who knew how to protect people from abuse and how to report any concerns.

People felt involved in decisions about their care; each person had care records which included an assessment, a care plan and the necessary risk assessments in place. People received their medicines as prescribed. Staff received training on how to give medicines out safely. People’s health needs were monitored and referrals made to health care professionals were made when necessary.

People knew how to make a complaint if they needed to. All complaints were monitored and investigated appropriately.

There was a clear management structure and a management team in place. Some staff reported there was low morale and they were not supported or motivated in their jobs. However, the registered manager was in the process of putting plans in place to recruit more staff, make organisational changes, improve the flexibility of the service in order to help improve staff morale.

There were effective systems in place to regularly monitor and improve the quality of the service; through audits and feedback from people and their relatives who used the service.

We found one breach of the Health and Social Care Act (2008) (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.