Abel Care Ltd

Updated 8 February 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 carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

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 notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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 also reviewed notifications that the registered provider had sent to us since the last inspection. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We requested an updated action plan from the registered manager regarding the breaches we found at our last inspection. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care records, 3 staff files, training records, staff supervision records and medicine administration records. We also looked at audits and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

Following the inspection, we spoke with 2 people who used the service, 4 relatives and 1 advocate to seek their views of the service. We also contacted 3 members of staff to ask them questions about their roles and to confirm information we had received about the service during our inspection.

Updated 8 February 2023

About the service

Abel Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older people, people with dementia and people with sensory impairment. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. At the time of the inspection there were 7 people using the service.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

People were protected from the risk of abuse because the provider had taken steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening. Staff understood their responsibilities to protect people in their care. Individual risks to people had been assessed and recorded in their care plans to keep people safe. Incidents and accidents were documented and reviewed to prevent re-occurrence. People were supported to take their medicines in the way they wanted. Systems were in place for the monitoring and prevention of infection. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and to provide personalised care and support.

People’s needs were assessed and care and support were planned and delivered in line with their individual care needs. Staff received regular supervision and an annual appraisal. They received a structured induction and training to meet the needs of people they supported. People were assisted to have enough to eat and drink where this was part of their care needs. The registered manager worked closely with health and social care professionals to monitor the health of people.

People and their relatives commented positively about the care and support provided by staff. The provider was committed to challenging any form of discrimination it encountered. People were involved in making choices and decisions about their care. Staff ensured people's privacy and dignity were protected. They had a good understanding around confidentiality.

People received care and support that were tailored to their individual needs. Staff were aware of the needs and preferences of people. Information on how to communicate with people was included in their care plans. The provider had policies and procedures for dealing with any concerns or complaints. People were aware of how to raise issues of concern to the service. Staff had been trained to ensure they had the knowledge and skills to care for people who were approaching the end of their life.

The provider had systems to assess and monitor the delivery of care and support. The registered manager was aware of when the CQC should be made aware of events and the responsibilities of being a registered manager. People and their relatives were encouraged to contact the registered manager if they had any issues and this helped to ensure the service ran smoothly. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities and had access to policies and procedures to inform and guide them. The registered manager had good links with a number of health and social care professionals and this helped to ensure people’s needs were fully met.

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

Rating at last inspection and update:

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (17 December 2019) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection enough improvement had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.