Archived: Amber Valley Total Care

Updated 19 January 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place 30 November 2016 and 6 December 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in. The inspection was carried out by one inspector and one expert by experience. An expert by experience is someone who has knowledge of, or cares for, someone who uses this type of service.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included any notifications the agency had sent us about what was happening at the home. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that providers must tell us about. We also contacted the local authority and Healthwatch to see if they had any information which might help inform the inspection.

We spoke with eleven people who used the service and four relatives of people who used the service, including people we met face to face in their homes. We spoke with the registered manager, the care co-ordinator and five care staff who worked for the service.

We looked at the care records of four people who used the service and other documentation about how the service was managed. These included policies and procedures, three staff recruitment records and records associated with quality assurances processes.

Updated 19 January 2017

The inspection took place on 30 November and 6 December 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in the office. The service provided domiciliary care and support to people living in the Amber Valley area of Derbyshire. At the time of the inspection there were 104 people using the service.

There is a registered manager at the service. 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.

People told us they felt safe with the staff team from Amber Valley Total Care. Staff members had a good understanding of the various types of abuse and knew how to report any concerns.

People had consistent staff that supported them. People told us that staff always arrived when they were expecting them. Staff confirmed they had regular people they visited and were able to build up relationships with the people they supported.

People were supported to take their medicines safely. People were supported by staff who had received appropriate training to assist them to meet people’s needs.

The registered manager understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and their responsibilities around this. People using the service told us that staff always obtained their consent before they provided their care and support. Staff members confirmed this and told us that if they identified any concerns about a person’s capacity to consent then they would contact the registered manager.

Care staff had a good understanding of people’s dietary needs. They were aware of health requirements which meant people had to have their meals at specific times. There was information about people’s dietary requirements within their care plans. The staff team ensured that people’s wellbeing was supported and maintained.

People received their care from regular staff that got to know them well. Staff members were kind and caring. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and promoted their independence.

People contributed to an assessment of their needs and received care that met their needs.

People felt able to raise concerns with the service and were satisfied with the response they received regarding their concerns. Information relating how to make a complaint was included within the service user guide that was provided to people when they first started to use the service.

People felt able to speak to the management team about the service. They felt they were open and approachable.

The staff team had a good understanding of the purpose of the service and worked together to achieve the service aims.