Avid Care Ltd

Updated 7 April 2023

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 22 March 2023 and ended on 27 March 2023. We visited the location’s office/service on 22 March 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we held about the provider. We sought feedback from professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 2 people who used the service and 2 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 4 members of staff including the registered manager and care workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people's care records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 7 April 2023

About the service

Avid Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care. At the time of our inspection there were 3 people using the service. All people 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 told us they felt safe and had confidence that staff had the skills and knowledge to respond to concerns appropriately. Staff supported people to take positive risks and this was promoted with guidance in peoples care plans. Incidents and accidents had been recorded and lessons learnt to reduce the risk of them reoccurring.

People’s needs had been thoroughly assessed and detailed care plans were in place. Staff were trained to be effective and confident in their role. People were supported to live healthy lives and there were good examples of joined up care with health professionals. Staff sought consent from people at every opportunity and were equipped to respond to concerns for a person’s cognition if they felt they may require an assessment of their capacity to consent.

Staff spoke of people with respect. People told us they felt very well cared for and their carers were polite. People felt they were encouraged to be as independent as possible, and they could comfortably express their views and be in control of their care.

The provider supported individual communication needs exceptionally well. Care plans had been translated, and fluent staff allocated to people whose first language was not English. Staff had access to creative tools to communicate with people who had delayed speech and processing of information. Staff supported people to enjoy activities which were meaningful to them in addition to their care plan requirements. The provider responded to complaints sensitively and thoroughly; measurably improving care for people as a result. People had an equal opportunity to receive the same quality of care.

The registered manager was spoken of very fondly by staff, people and their relatives. There was confidence in the management, and pride in contributing to the ethos of inclusivity. The registered manager had committed to extensive, thorough monitoring and open communication which had proactively reduced potential risk or quality concerns. People and relatives were engaged with the provider and had trust in their ongoing care.

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.

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 16 February 2022 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.