Aetos Health Care Ltd

Updated 18 June 2021

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.

Inspection team

This inspection was undertaken by one inspector.

Service and service type

Aetos Health Care Ltd is a domiciliary care service and provides ‘live-in’ support to people living in their own homes. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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 the service four days' notice, to ensure the registered manager was in and that people and relatives had consented to us contacting them. Inspection activity started on 28 May 2021 and ended on 04 June 2021. We visited the office location on 04 June 2021.

What we did before this inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We checked the information we held about the service and the provider, such as notifications. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us. We used all this information to assist with the planning of the inspection. We also sought feedback from organisations who shared people's care and support.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service and one relative about their experiences of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager and care staff and a health professional who regularly works with the service.

We looked at various records, including care records for two people, as well as other records relating to the running of the service. These included one recent staff recruitment file, supervision planning records, training records, medicine administration records, audits and compliments.

After the inspection

We requested the registered manager send us records to clarify people’s risk management plans. This information was provided within the timescales given.

Updated 18 June 2021

About the service

Aetos Health Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older and younger people, people living with dementia and people with physical disabilities. At the time of our inspection there were four people using the service.

All four people were being provided with the regulated activity of 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.

Peoples experience of using this service

People, their relatives or representatives knew the signs and symptoms of any potential harm and to whom they could report any concerns. Staff were knowledgeable about identifying and reporting safeguarding concerns or issues. One relative said, “[Staff] are very diligent in ensuring my [family member] takes their medicines as they would forget without staff prompting.”

The registered manager ensured they only recruited suitable staff and checks were in place to support this process. People were supported to independently administer their medicines. This was safely managed by safe and competent staff. One person said, “I rely on the staff. They apply my [medication], and as a result I stay well." Lessons were learned when things went wrong, and learning was shared across the staff team. There were systems and processes in place which supported good infection prevention and control practices.

People's needs were assessed and staff with the right skills helped to meet these. One person told us, "I keep an eagle eye on staff when they help me. I just remind the new ones if they are not doing things correctly. I feel very safe though." A relative said how staff paid attention to detail. However, in each of the care plans we looked at, they lacked detail around people’s care and support. Although, there was no impact on people, the registered manager told us they would add additional information. Staff supported people to access healthcare support to live a healthier life.

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.

Staff ensured people's care was respectful, dignified and undertaken with privacy. People's independence was promoted and respected. Staff provided care and support in an attentive and unhurried manner; they gave people the time they needed, and staff acted according to what people said. One person told us, “[Staff] cover me up as much as they can. They chat with me and tell me exactly what they are going to do and if I am happy for them to do that.”

People's care was person centred and based on what was important to them including how they communicated their preferences and choices. Records and processes were reviewed regularly to ensure they were current and relevant.

Concerns were resolved before they became a complaint, and actions taken were effective in preventing recurrences. Policies and procedures were in place for any person who may need end of life care. People benefitted from using technology and this helped promote safety and independence.

The registered manager led by example, demonstrated the values of the service and was aware of their responsibilities. They knew what effective oversight and quality assurance was; they implemented this effectively. They had developed a positive, open and honest staff team culture. Staff spoke of the qualities of the registered manager as being, “very approachable”, “a listener”, and “someone who you can trust implicitly”. Governance and audits were effective in driving improvements.

People's views about their care were sought frequently and improvements were made. The registered manager worked well with others to provide people with joined up care and support. The staff team promoted the provider’s equality and diversity policies and treated people equally well. Staff used their skills and knowledge of people's communication and support needs to help ensure people's care was as good as it could be.

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 25 April 2019 and this is this first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the registration date of the service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.