Background to this inspection
Updated
27 April 2019
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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
There were two inspectors. One inspector completed the inspection whilst another supported by speaking to people and their relatives.
Service and service type: This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to disabled children and young adults.
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 the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because the service is small and the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff. We needed to be sure that they would be in.
Inspection site visit activity started on 26 February 2019 and ended on the same day. We visited the office location to see the registered manager and other staff there, and to review care records and policies and procedures.
What we did:
Before inspection we looked at:
¿ The Provider Information Return. Providers are required to send us key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.
¿ Notifications we received from the service during and after inspection:
During and after the inspection:
¿ We spoke with one person who used the service.
¿ We spoke with six relatives of people who used the service.
¿ We looked at two people’s care records.
¿ We looked at records of safeguarding, accidents, incidents and complaints.
¿ Audits and quality assurance reports.
¿ We spoke with seven members of staff; one carer, one team leader, one activities coordinator, one deputy manager, the registered manager and two directors of the service.
Updated
27 April 2019
About the service: Access All Care And Training Solutions is a domiciliary care agency that currently provides personal care to eight people with learning disabilities and or on the autistic spectrum, seven of whom are children. For more details, please see the full report which is on CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
People’s experience of using this service:
¿ People’s relatives thought the service was exceptional and the care exemplary. One relative said, “Once they're in your lives it's never too much for them.”
¿ The service went to great lengths to promote person centred values; In one example they supported a person to employ their own team of personal assistants and assisted in their supervision.
¿ Their person-centred focus led the service to ensure staff completed specific training on specialist equipment to best meet people’s needs.
¿ Staff trained in various communication systems and technology so that people were supported to live more inclusive lives.
¿ The service employed an activities coordinator with specific remit to include and support people, their families and carers with personalised activities promoting their inclusion in the wider community.
¿The service supported families compassionately in their times of need; providing a safety net to relatives when needed and supported them navigate health, social and educational institutions.
¿ Care plans were holistic and all-encompassing. They not only recorded people’s needs and preferences, They also included details on how to care for people’s child siblings so that families could be given respite.
¿ People and professionals thought the management of the service was unique and remarkable.
¿ The service management was led by two directors, a registered manager and a deputy manager. Staff saw these leaders as inspirational role models.
¿ Staff were extremely motivated and felt passionate about the service; they were able to align their personal values easily to that of the service given it’s drive for equality and inclusion.
¿ Staff knew what to do if they had safeguarding concerns.
¿ People were risk assessed to keep them safe from harm and families were involved in these.
¿ There were sufficient staff and they were recruited with people in mind.
¿ Staff managed medicines safely.
¿ Staff understood the need to control and prevent infection.
¿ The service learned lessons when things went wrong.
¿ People were assessed before the service worked with them.
¿ Staff supported people with their food and being fed.
¿ People were actively supported to access health care professionals.
¿ 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.
¿ Relatives told us they were well treated well and that the service provided was high quality.
¿ People and their relatives were involved with their care and signed their consent to treatment.
¿ People’s privacy was respected and they were treated with dignity.
¿ People’s relatives told us they knew how to make complaints
¿ The service was not working with any one at end of life but evidenced they could.
¿ The provider used audits, spot checks and surveys to drive improvement in the service.
¿ Staff had meetings where they could be involved in the service.
Rating at last inspection: This service was previously inspected in 2016 and had been rated ‘Good’ overall.
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection that was part of our inspection schedule.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. The next inspection will be planned for a future date based on our rating.