About the service AStar HomecareTattenhall Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection 8 people were receiving personal care and support to remain as independent as possible. 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
People and their relatives were positive and complimentary about the care and support they received. People’s care was planned in a personalised way and staff were responsive to people’s needs. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. Support was tailored to meet people’s diverse needs.
There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. People were supported by a small team of familiar staff, who arrived as expected. People were positive about the reliability and consistency of staff. Staff were recruited safely. However, some records would benefit from further detail in relation to decisions made and to demonstrate processes were robustly followed. People's individual risks around their health and care needs were assessed and managed. Care plans were in place, however, aspects of record keeping would benefit from further person-centred details being included and kept fully up to date. Reviews were in progress, and staff understood people’s care needs well and supported people’s choices and preferences.
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; overall the policies and systems in the service generally supported this practice. However, we have made a recommendation in relation to the provider’s policy.
People were protected from the risk of abuse and harm and the provider had procedures in place to help prevent and control the spread of infection. Medicines were managed safely. People were supported by staff who had the skills, knowledge and experience to care for them effectively. Staff felt supported within their role. Communication within the service was effective and staff were kept up to date with changes.
Staff were attentive and reactive to changes in people’s health and well-being. The service worked closely with local health and social care professionals to promote good outcomes for people. Where required staff liaised with health professionals to support people at the end of life. People felt able to raise concerns and had information about how to make a complaint if necessary. The service had not received any complaints.
The service was well-led. The provider’s values and ethos supported a person-centred approach. The registered manager had promoted an open culture and staff felt able to raise any issues or concerns. People told us the manager was approachable, flexible and supportive. A learning culture was promoted. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service. The registered manager worked closely with people and the staff team. They had clear and regular oversight of the care being provided. They had a considered approach to developing the service and feedback was sought from people to help develop the service.
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 5 October 2021 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.