Background to this inspection
Updated
15 February 2020
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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
This inspection was undertaken by an inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that 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
We gave a short period of notice of the inspection to enable consent to be gained to visit people in their own homes.
Inspection activity started on 8 January 2020 and ended on 13 January 2020. We visited the office location on 8 January 2020.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection and we sought feedback from the local authority. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. 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. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with nine people who used the service about their experience of the care provided over the telephone. We also received feedback from eight relatives. We spoke with seven members of staff, as well as the registered manager, quality manager, regional manager and the nominated individual.
We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and their medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
Updated
15 February 2020
About the service
Allied Health-Services Wirral is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection, the service was providing personal care to 137 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service were not always effective in identifying areas of the service that required improvement. Although people’s feedback regarding their care was positive, people told us they did not feel the service was always well managed. Systems were in place to gather people’s views regarding the service and staff meetings provided staff with the opportunity to have their say. The registered manager and staff were aware of their responsibilities and told us they would recommend the service.
People told us they felt safe with the support provided by staff. We found however, that risk was not always assessed and managed comprehensively. For instance, one person’s plan of care was not always followed by all staff. There were sufficient numbers of safely recruited staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures and knew how to respond in the event of an emergency, such as if a person was unwell or had fallen.
People told us they did not always receive person centred care, as staff were not always aware of their needs or how they wanted to be supported. However, people that had support from regular care staff, felt the staff knew them and their preferences well. People did not always know what time staff were scheduled to arrive, or which staff member would be visiting. We made a recommendation about this in the main body of the report. Care plans were detailed and reflected people’s needs and preferences. People’s communication needs were assessed and recorded and people knew how to raise any concerns they had.
People and their relatives told us staff treated people with kindness and compassion, protected their dignity and provided support in ways which promoted their independence. People were involved with the development and review of their plans of care.
Systems were in place to gain people’s consent to the care provided. 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. Staff were supported in their roles through an induction, training and regular supervisions and appraisals. People told us they felt staff were well trained and staff agreed that they had access to mandatory training, as well as any additional courses they felt would benefit them to support people effectively.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 18 January 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was undertaken in line with our inspection schedule for newly registered services.
Enforcement
We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment and the governance of the service at this inspection.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.