Aspire Care (SW)

Updated 7 December 2021

The inspection:

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

Inspection team:

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type:

Aspire Care (SW) Care is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support for people in their own homes.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

The inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is a small domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager and other senior staff would be available to speak with us.

What we did before the inspection:

Prior to an inspection site visit we reviewed all the information we had received about the service. This included details about any incidents the provider had told us about and were required to notify us of.

The provider had not been asked to submit their provider information return prior to this inspection however shared the report they had prepared for the other Aspire Care branch in Bristol. This report provided key information about the service and told us what the service did well and improvements they planned to make.

Inspection site visit activity started on 3 November 2021 where we met with the registered manager, clinical lead and a member of the office staff. We reviewed four care records and policies and procedures and discussed service delivery arrangements.

During the inspection period we met with three people who received a service in their homes, spoke with four relatives and received feedback from five staff members. We also received information from five health or social care professionals who work with the service.

Updated 7 December 2021

About the service:

Aspire Care (SW) is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support for people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection five people were receiving personal care regulated by the Care Quality Commission and there was a team of 18 care staff.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received a service that was safe and protected them from harm. The staff team received training which ensured they maintained people’s safety and any risks were well-managed. Where required, medicines were administered safely, and infection control measures were robust.

Whilst the service is still relatively new and supporting a small number of people, no new services users will be taken on until there is the staff capacity to provide the carer and support required. Any new service user will be fully assessed prior to any service being agreed upon.

The staff team received the relevant training to enable them to do their job well and were well supported by the management team. Training included a comprehensive induction programme at the start of their employment and ongoing refresher training. Each person was allocated their individual staff team which meant staff were able to provide a consistent service and knew their individual care and support needs. Staff supported people to live their life in their way of choosing and provided support with meaningful activities where appropriate.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Some comments have been made about communication between the management and office staff and the care staff and families. Communication had been particularly difficult during the pandemic but actions already taken by the registered manager have led to improvements being made.

Care records were kept up to date and amended as and when required. People were looked after by staff who were kind and caring. People and their family said they would feel comfortable to raise any concerns or issues they had and felt they would be listened to. We received positive feedback about people’s experiences of the support they received. People told us staff treated them well, with dignity and respect.

People’s support was tailored to meet their individual needs as per their plan of care. Where a person could self-direct their care, the staff worked with them to achieve this. Staff facilitated people to access community resources and any new opportunities they wanted to try and be involved in.

People and staff spoke positively about the registered manager and the senior care staff. Whilst the staff did say how difficult it had been during the pandemic, they also said they were valued and supported by the registered manager.

There were measures in place to monitor the quality, safety and ‘customer’ satisfaction with service provision. There was a regular programme of auditing and people were asked and encouraged to provide feedback regarding their views and opinions of the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection:

This is the first inspection of this service since it was registered by the Care Quality Commission in September 2019. The service has been rated Good.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive. We will inspect in line with our inspection programme or sooner if required.