10 April 2018
During a routine inspection
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of our inspection there were 95 people receiving a service from the agency.
There was a registered manager in place. 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.
At the last inspection on 26 January 2016 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service had not changed since our last inspection.
People we spoke with told us staff who supported them were kind, patient and respectful. One person we visited who received a service said, “Lovely people all of them. They are so kind and have to be patient with me. I am on my own so feel safe knowing someone is helping me.”
The registered manager had systems in place to record safeguarding concerns, accidents and incidents and take necessary action as required. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report any incidents of alleged abuse.
Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care and staff visiting people’s homes. These had been kept under review and updated when changes occurred to the person or environment.
Staff had been recruited safely, appropriately trained and supported. They had skills, knowledge and experience required to support people in their own homes. The management team deployed sufficient staffing levels to provide support people required in their own homes.
Staff responsible for assisting people with their medicines had received training to ensure they had the competency and skills required. People told us they received their medicines at the times they needed them.
Care plans were organised and had identified the care and support people required. We found they were personalised and informative about care people received. They had been kept under review and updated when necessary. They reflected any risks and people’s changing needs.
Staff had received food and hygiene training to ensure they were confident when preparing meals in people’s homes.
We found by talking with people saw there was an emphasis on promoting dignity, respect and independence for people supported by Allied Healthcare. They told us they were treated as individuals and received person centred care.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.
People who used the service and their relatives knew how to raise a complaint and who to speak with. The management team had kept a record of complaints received and these had been responded to in a timely manner
The management team used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service they provided. For example they included regular staff meetings, spot checks in people’s homes, management team visits and phone calls to people and satisfaction surveys. The registered manager told us they continually strived to improve services for people by monitoring the quality of service provision and making improvements.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.