Aventus Care Limited

Updated 9 December 2017

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 on 28 September and 2 and 19 October 2017. The inspection was announced and was undertaken by one inspector. The provider was given notice because the location provides care for people in their own homes; we needed to be sure that the registered manager and staff would be available to support the inspection.

Prior to the inspection the registered manager had completed a Provider Information Return [PIR]. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The provider returned the PIR and we took this into account when we made judgements in this report.

We reviewed the information we held about the service, including statutory notifications that the provider had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We also contacted 'Healthwatch' in Northamptonshire. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion for people who use health and social care services.

During this inspection people were not able to communicate with us about their experiences of support from the service, but we were able to speak with two of their relatives on the telephone; we also visited two people at home. We visited the office location and spoke with the registered manager and spoke with a team manager, one team leader and three support workers on the telephone. Following the inspection visit, we received further positive feedback from relatives that we had spoken with during the inspection.

We looked at care records relating to two people. We looked at the quality monitoring arrangements for the service, three records in relation to staff recruitment, as well as records related to staff training, staff duty rotas, meeting minutes and arrangements for managing complaints.

Updated 9 December 2017

This announced inspection took place over three days on 28 September and 2 and 19 October 2017. Hallmark Supported Living provides personal care support to people that have learning disabilities. People being supported by the service at the time of inspection had complex support needs, which impacted upon their ability to communicate. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting three people with the regulated activity of personal care.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

Staff recruitment procedures needed to be strengthened to ensure that all necessary risk assessments had been completed as part of the staff selection process.

People were not able to communicate with us to tell us if they felt safe, however relatives told us that they felt that their family members were supported in a safe way. Our observations during the inspection confirmed this.

People were protected from harm arising from poor practice or abuse as there were clear safeguarding procedures in place for care staff to follow if they were concerned about people’s safety. Staff understood the need to protect people from harm and knew what action they should take if they had any concerns.

There were systems in place to manage medicines safely. Staff were trained in the safe administration of medicines and people had specific care plans relating to the provision of their medicines.

People received care from staff that were kind and friendly. People had meaningful interactions with staff and enjoyed being with staff. Staff had an in depth knowledge of people’s communication needs and behaviours, which enabled them to respond to people appropriately. People received care at their own pace and were treated with dignity and respect. People were supported to participate in a range of activities and staff knew people well and understood the types of activities they enjoyed.

Care records contained individual risk assessments and risk management plans to protect people from identified risks and help to keep them safe. Care plans were written in a person centred approach and detailed how people wished to be supported. Where possible people were involved in making decisions about their care.

People were actively involved in decisions about their care and support needs as much as they were able. Staff were aware of their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA2005) and applied their knowledge appropriately. There was a Mental Capacity policy and procedure for staff to follow to assess whether people had the capacity to make decisions for themselves.

People received care from staff who had the appropriate skills and knowledge to meet their needs. All staff had undergone the provider’s induction and mandatory training before working with people.

Staff were aware of the importance of managing complaints promptly and in line with the provider’s policy. Staff and people were confident that issues would be addressed and that any concerns they had would be listened to.

The provider and registered manager were visible and accessible to people, their relatives and staff; people had confidence in the way the service was run. There was a clear vision that was person centred and focussed on enabling people to live at home. All staff demonstrated a commitment to providing a service for people that met their individual needs.