AQS Homecare Essex

People’s experience of using the service:

People felt safe using the service and liked having regular care staff who they had formed positive relationships with. Risks to people had been assessed and these were well managed by a consistent staff team who knew people well.

Staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities to protect people from the risk of abuse. There were sufficient staff employed who had been safely recruited.

Medicines were safely managed by staff who were trained and assessed as competent. Staff had training in food hygiene and infection control and followed good practice to prevent contamination and the spread of infection.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff were trained and monitored to check they had the skills and knowledge to do their job. Staff enjoyed working at the company and felt well supported by the management team.

People had assistance with meals and drinks if required. People’s health needs had been assessed and staff had guidance on how to help people stay healthy. Staff helped people be as independent as they could be.

Staff were kind and caring and treated people with dignity and respect. People had regular care staff who knew how they liked to be supported. Staff understood how to communicate with people to help them express their views and make choices.

People knew how to make a complaint and complaints were dealt with appropriately. Feedback from people and staff was invited and acted upon to improve the service. Systems and processes were in place to monitor safety and quality and drive improvements.

Rating at last inspection: Good. (Last report published November 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

The provider had values and a clear vision that were person centred and focussed on enabling people to live at home. All staff demonstrated a commitment to providing a service for people that met their individual needs. People had positive relationships with staff.

People were actively involved in decisions about their care and support needs. There were formal systems in place to assess people’s capacity for decision making under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff provided people with information to enable them to make an informed decision and encouraged people to make their own choices.

People received safe care and support. Staff understood their role in safeguarding people and they knew how to report concerns. There were enough staff with the right skills and attitudes to meet people’s needs.

Staff had a full understanding of people’s support needs and had the skills and knowledge to meet them. Staff received updates to their training and regular supervisions. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities in caring for people and received regular support from the provider.

Care records contained risk assessments and risk management plans to protect people from identified risks. They gave information for staff on the identified risk and informed staff on the measures required to minimise any risks. Staff were vigilant regarding people’s changing health needs and sought guidance from relevant healthcare professionals.

Staff were aware of the importance of managing complaints promptly and in line with the provider’s policy. Staff and people were confident that if they had any concerns they would be listened to and any concerns would be addressed.

The provider monitored the quality and safety of the service and staff regularly monitored the support people received. People and staff were encouraged to provide feedback about the service and it was used to drive continuous improvement.

Records viewed showed that support plans covered all aspects of a person's individual circumstances. The provider had appropriate arrangements in place to ensure that the management of medicines was safe and that it met individual people's needs. We found that there were suitable arrangements in place to ensure that there were sufficient numbers of staff available for the needs of the service. People who used the service were confident that their comments and complaints were listened to and acted on.

People we spoke to were happy overall with the care provided although half had some concerns over the timing of visits, with staff being late. They told us that they did always turn up and whilst this was sometimes inconvenient they usually accepted it. People we spoke to felt safe with the staff who visited them and knew who to contact if they had any concerns.

Staff at the agency were well trained and supported by the management team. A robust recruitment procedure was in place. The provider had good quality assurance systems in place that focused on obtaining feedback from people who use the service.