We carried out a review of the data available to us about ASRA - Smethwick on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about ASRA - Smethwick, you can give feedback on this service.
ASRA-Smethwick is a care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of this inspection the service was providing personal care to 34 people. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is to help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and harm and the registered manager and staff understood their role and responsibilities to keep people safe.
People’s support needs were risk assessed and care plans provided staff with the information they needed to manage the identified risks.
The provider carried out recruitment checks to ensure staff were suitable for the role. Staff had the necessary skills to carry out their role. Staff had regular training opportunities.
People received their medicines as prescribed. Infection prevention and control policies and procedures were in place to keep people safe.
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.
The provider used quality assurance monitoring systems to maintain oversight of the service compliance with regulations.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection (and update)
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (Report published 02 September 2019) and there were five breaches of regulation. At this inspection enough improvement had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
We undertook this comprehensive inspection to check the provider now met legal requirements. The overall rating for the service is good. This is based on the findings at this inspection. Please see the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led sections of this full report.
Follow up
Our next inspection will take place as per our re-inspection programme. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
ASRA Smethwick is a care at home service providing personal care to people aged 65 and over, with mental health conditions or physical disabilities. At the time of this inspection 46 people were receiving a service.
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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
We found people were not always safe. Peoples safety had been placed at risk due to safeguarding policies and procedures not being followed. Information was not always shared with the local authority safeguarding team.
Staff recruitment practices were unsafe and left people at risk of harm. Not all staff received safeguarding training prior to delivering the service. Staff did not have a good understanding of whistleblowing. Staff received regular supervision and annual appraisals.
People’s needs were not always met by staff with the knowledge and skills or the relevant qualifications. Peoples care plans were limited in the information provided. Risk assessments did not always include actions for staff to take to keep people safe and reduce the risk of harm. Medication was given as prescribed. There were good infection control practices in place.
The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. 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.
Communication methods did not meet the Accessible Information Standards and did not have regard for people’s protected characteristics. The provider did not have an effective process to receive and act on complaints. People’s confidential information was not appropriately or safely communicated to others.
Quality monitoring systems did not provide an oversight of the service or demonstrate the service was effectively managed or improving.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at the last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (Published 12 July 2016)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Enforcement
We have found breaches in relation to Regulation 13 Safeguarding, Regulation 19 Fit and Proper Staff, Regulation 10 Dignity and Respect, Regulation 16 Receiving and Acting on Complaints and Regulation 17 Good governance.
You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.
The overall rating for the service has changed from Good to Requires Improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
Follow up
We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
ASRA – Smethwick is a domiciliary care service registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. The service currently provides care to 19 people.
There was a registered manager in post. 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.
People were supported by staff who understood how to report abuse and manage risks to keep people safe.
People had access to regular carers who had undergone appropriate recruitment checks to ensure they were safe to work. Staff had access to regular training and supervision to support them in their role.
People were supported with their medication in a safe way by staff who had been appropriately trained.
Staff were aware of how to ensure people had their rights upheld in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff supported people with meals where required and supported people to access healthcare services when needed.
Staff had a kind and caring approach and treated people with dignity. Where possible, staff supported people to maintain their independence.
People were involved in the assessment and review of their care. Staff knew people well and understood their preferences with regards to their care.
There were appropriate complaints procedures in place and where complaints were made, these were resolved to the satisfaction of the person making the complaint.
People and staff spoke positively about the leadership of the agency and felt the service was well led. Staff felt supported in their role and were comfortable in raising concerns where needed.
There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. People were supported to provide feedback on their experience of the care provided.
We found that people's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. This meant staff had the information they needed to meet peoples care needs.
People's care and health needs were planned and met in a personalised way. All staff spoken with told us they had the information they needed to care for people safely.
Staff were clear about the action to take should they become aware of an allegation of abuse. All four people spoken with told us they felt secure and knew who to tell if they had concerns and were confident that these would be acted upon.
Staff spoken with told us they felt supported by the manager, and had regular training opportunities. This meant staff had the skills to care for people safely.
There were systems in place to monitor how the service was run, and action was taken where feedback from the people using the service would improve the service provided to them.
We found that clear systems were in place to investigate and respond to people's concerns.
All three people spoken with were happy with the service provided. People had individual care plans that they had agreed to. One person using the service told us, 'Staff are very good kind and respectful to me'. Another person told us, 'They respect the choice I make about my care'.
Staff received a range of training so that they had up to date knowledge and skills in order to support the people receiving a service.
The provider had clear procedures in place to identify and respond to suspicions of abuse to ensure people were protected against abuse.
There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. Improvements were made by listening to the views of people using the service, their relatives and taking the appropriate actions.
We did not speak to people who use the service directly for this review.