AMO Care

Updated 8 February 2019

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:

One inspector carried out this inspection.

Service and service type:

AMO Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to younger disabled adults. At the time of inspection one person was receiving the regulated activity for personal care.

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

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service 24 hours' notice of the inspection visit because it is a small service. We needed to be sure that the manager would be in the office.

What we did:

Before the inspection we reviewed information we had received about the service since it started providing personal care in 2018. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse. We contacted commissioners and other professionals to gather their views about the service.

During the inspection:

We spoke with the registered manager, who was also the provider, the operations manager and office manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included one person's care records. We also looked at three staff files around staff recruitment and the training records of staff. We reviewed records relating to the management of the service and a variety of policies and procedures developed and implemented by the provider.

Following the inspection, we spoke with one relative and two staff members. We reviewed an updated Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed the PIR and other information we held about the service as part of our inspection.

Updated 8 February 2019

About the service:

Acorns to Mighty Oaks (AMO Care) is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to younger disabled adults. At the time of inspection four people were using the service but only one person was receiving the regulated activity for personal care.

People’s experience of using this service:

There were enough staff on duty to provide safe care to people. Systems were in place to protect people and to provide safe care. Arrangements for managing people’s medicines were safe.

Risk assessments were in place and they accurately identified current risks to the person as well as ways for staff to minimise or appropriately manage those risks. Staff knew the needs of the people they supported to provide individual care and records reflected the care provided.

People were involved in decisions about their care. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Information was accessible to involve people in decision making about their lives.

People had food and drink to meet their needs. There were opportunities for people to follow their interests and hobbies. They were supported to be part of the local community.

Staff were well-supported. A system for supervision, appraisals and an induction programme was in place which developed their understanding of people and their routines. Staff also received specialised training to ensure they could support people safely and carry out their roles effectively.

There were opportunities for people, relatives and staff to give their views about the service. The provider undertook a range of audits to check on the quality of care provided.

More information is in the full report

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection that took place on 24 January 2019. This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered in 2014. People did not start using the regulated activity until May 2018.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.