Background to this inspection
Updated
13 March 2019
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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 26 January 2019 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours' notice of the inspection site visit because we needed to be sure the registered manager and staff would be available.
The inspection was carried out by an Inspection Manager.
We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. Prior to the inspection, we looked at the PIR and all the information we had collected about the service. This included previous inspection reports, information received and notifications the service had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to tell us about by law.
We spoke with two people who used the service, three relatives, and four healthcare professionals. We spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager, the general manager and two area managers (referred to as "the provider" in the report). We also spoke with three members of staff.
We looked at four people's care plans, which included risk assessments, healthcare information and capacity assessments. We looked at medication administration records, staff training records, accident and incident records, feedback received and awards receive,d and a 'scrapbook' which captured the provider's highlights from the service. We also looked at three staff recruitment files. We reviewed a number of other documents relating to the ongoing quality assurance and monitoring of the service.
Updated
13 March 2019
This inspection took place on 26 January 2019 and was announced.
Audley Ellerslie 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 older adults. There is also an Audley village complex, where people buy their own flats within the village and receive care and support from Audley staff in their homes. The village facilities are available to those who live in the complex, in the community and also to the wider community. The facilities include a gym, a swimming pool, a bistro, restaurant, sauna, and steam room.
People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people's personal care [and support] service. Not everyone using Audley Ellerslie receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.
At the time of our inspection, Audley Ellerslie was providing personal care to seven people, two of whom lived in the village.
There was a registered manager in post, who was present during 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.
There was a strong focus on community integration and inclusion. People were a valuable part of their local community, and enjoyed daily social interactions and community events.
The provider was known within the sector for delivering excellence and had won prestigious awards to this effect.
Governance and continuous learning was embedded in the service, with new ways always being considered to improve the quality and safety of care provided.
The provider recognised the link between a valued and engaged and staff team and high-quality care, and invested heavily in staff reward and recognition.
The ethos of the service was for people to 'live well' with conditions such as dementia and Parkinson's. People were encouraged and enabled to live active and healthy lives, which people told us had greatly enhanced their confidence, self esteem and quality of life. Wellbeing was promoted for all Audley Ellerslie clients.
Staff received ongoing training and development in their roles. This included a range of 'blended learning', such as ELearning, observational learning and virtual reality experiences to enable them to learn what life is like for people living with dementia.
People benefited from a flexible and person-centred approach by the provider and staff team. People's individual preferences, needs, and wishes were known by staff and were respected.
People enjoyed positive and respectful relationships with staff. The provider acknowledged important occasions for people, such as their birthdays, and made gestures to help people feel special.
People were involved in decisions about their care and any subsequent reviews. People knew how to provide feedback about the service, or raise a complaint or concern. There was a system in place for capturing and responding to complaints and feedback.
People appreciated staff's reliability and praised their conduct. The provider adhered to safe recruitment processes.
People were supported with the safe administration of their medicines.