Archived: Amber Home Carers

Updated 23 December 2015

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.

This inspection took place on 2 November 2015 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We reviewed information we held about the provider, in particular notifications about incidents, accidents, safeguarding matters and any deaths. We spoke on the telephone with four people who used the service to gather their views about the service provided.. We also spoke with three care staff, the manager, two care co-ordinators and the training co-ordinator about the work they did and to gather their views of the service.

We reviewed a range of documents and records including; two care records for people who used the service, two records of staff employed by the agency, as well as a sample of complaints and compliments records, accidents and incident records and medicines administration records (MAR). We also looked at policies and procedures kept by the service.

Updated 23 December 2015

We carried out an inspection of Amber Home Carers on 16 November 2015. This was an unannounced inspection.

Amber Home Carers provides a range of services to people in their own home including personal care, companionship and shopping in the London boroughs of Richmond-upon-Thames, Wandsworth and Ealing. At the time of inspection there were 62 people using the service, including 22 people receiving personal care.

A registered manager was in place. 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 who used the service told us they felt safe. Staff had received training about safeguarding and knew how to respond to any allegation of abuse. Staff were aware of the whistle blowing procedure which was in place to report concerns and poor practice.

There were sufficient staff employed to provide consistent and safe care to people, with people receiving care from the same small team of staff.

People received their medicines in a safe way and staff had received training in the types of medicines people received. Staff recorded medicines taken by people in an appropriate medicines record sheet.

The manager and care co-ordinators had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and had received training in this area to meet people’s care needs.

Staff helped ensure people who used the service had food and drink to meet their needs. Some people were assisted by staff to cook their own food and other people received meals that had been prepared by staff.

Staff knew people’s care and support needs. Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and people were involved in making decisions about their care. There were regular home visits and telephone spot checks carried out by the service to monitor the quality of service and the care practice carried out by staff.

People told us that staff were kind, caring and efficient.

People who received care remained independent and in control of their decision making and choices. People had access to health care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment. The service maintained accurate and up to date records of people’s healthcare and GP contacts in case they needed to contact them.

A complaints procedure was available and people we spoke with said they knew how to complain, although no one said they had needed to. The service maintained records of compliments and complaints and recorded how these were resolved.

People had the opportunity to give their views about the service. There was regular consultation with staff, people and/or family members and their views were used to improve the service. Regular audits were completed to monitor service provision and to ensure the safety of people who used the service.