We carried out a review of the data available to us about Apollo Care (West Wirral) on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Apollo Care (West Wirral), you can give feedback on this service.
Apollo Care (West Wirral) is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. 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. At the time of the inspection, the service was providing personal care to 38 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they received care that helped them to feel safe in their homes. There were sufficient numbers of staff employed and they had been recruited safely. People knew the staff who supported them. Staff were aware of safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures and knew how to raise any concerns they had. Risk to people had been assessed and measures were in place to reduce any identified risks. When people required support with medicines, this was completed safely.
Systems were in place to gain people’s consent to their care, but the recording of this information could be improved. We made a recommendation regarding this in the main body of the report. 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. Staff were supported through regular training, supervisions and spot checks and told us they felt very well supported in their roles. People’s needs were assessed prior to support commencing and staff worked with health professionals to help ensure people’s needs were met.
Staff were kind, caring and treated people with respect. Staff knew the people they supported well, including their needs, preferences and best method of communication. People told us staff protected their dignity and provided support in ways which promoted their independence. People were provided with information and supported to make decisions about their care.
People told us they received flexible care that met their individual needs and was based on their preferences and how they wanted to be supported. Detailed and personalised plans of care were in place that were reflective of people’s needs. People knew how to raise any concerns they had and were confident they would be listened to.
People’s feedback regarding the quality of service they received was very positive. Staff told us they enjoyed their roles and would recommend the company to others. Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and these had been built upon since the last inspection. The service was implementing new initiatives to continually improve 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
The last rating for this service was Good (published 14 January 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
Apollo Care West Wirral provide personal care for 31people living in their own homes in the geographical area of West Wirral. On the first day we visited the organisation’s office; on the second day we visited five people in their homes who were happy to speak with us about the care they received.
The organisations required and had a registered manager. 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 the service they received was safe. Staff members wore a uniform, carried identification and people were sent a weekly rota to identify which staff member was coming. When we visited people we saw that the staff rota was close to hand. People told us that apart from occasional times, the support they received was from familiar staff and that this was important to them.
We found that there were adequate staff to meet people’s care needs. People told us that they received their calls at the right time and that staff stayed for the full time as outlined in their care plan and rota. One person told us that they appreciated that the staff “Had enough time for a chat”. Another person told us, “They are observant and if they spot something that needs doing they ask if I want them to do it”.
New staff had been safely recruited, with robust checks made of people’s skills, knowledge and background. We saw records of and staff told us they received a thorough induction which included a week of training, a period of shadowing an experienced member of staff, three months of monthly supervision, ‘spot check’ observations and staff team meetings. Staff we spoke with praised the training they received. One staff member told us, “The induction was really useful, it refreshed my skills and gave me confidence in the role”.
All staff we spoke with were knowledgeable with regard to safeguarding vulnerable adults. They were aware of the different types of abuse and possible signs to look out for. Staff were aware of their responsibilities to report this within the organisation and if necessary to outside organisations.
We saw that appropriate risk assessments were in place for different aspect of people’s care. There was also a record of any accidents, incidents or near misses. The record of incidents was detailed and we saw examples of when incidents had been learnt from and actions that had been taken to keep people safe.
People told us they felt well cared for and the approach of staff and the service was caring. People’s feedback about their care was without exception positive. One person told us, “They are so nice; I’d recommend them to anyone”. People told us of times when they thought the support they received went above and beyond in their care and how they found this reassuring.
We saw that people were treated with dignity and respect and staff had been trained in the application of the Mental Capacity Act. People’s consent to care was sought when it was planned with the person, during regular reviews and on a day to day basis in making decisions.
People’s care plans were clear, up to date and reflected the care people received and had agreed to. We saw that there was an initial review of a person’s wishes and care needs and this had been regularly reviewed by a senior member of staff once a person’s care had started. Care plans recorded people’s preferences with regard to how they wished their personal care to take place. The care plans recorded any small details when they were important to a person. People received support to make sure their nutritional and other health care needs were met.
We looked at the organisation’s record of complaints and compliments. We saw that the service had received many compliments and also that complaints had been taken seriously and responded to and reviewed for themes that the organisation may need to address.
We saw that the registered manager had an individualised and detailed knowledge of the care people received. People supported and staff praised the manager, her style of management and attention to people’s care. The service had been nominated for a regional award and was in the final.
The manager made use of a computerised system that highlighted when checks, reviews and tasks were due. Many of the checks and audits of the quality of the service provided had been effective. The manager or another senior member of staff made regular unannounced ‘spot checks’ of staff member’s performance. This included the time the call was made and if people’s care plans were followed. Care plan reviews were thorough and we saw that the care of people we spoke with matched the information in their plan.
However there was no system in place to audit people’s MAR charts for completeness or to look for reasons for, or patterns of gaps in the records. Also, all notifiable events had not all been reported to the Care Quality Commission and the local authority. On the second day of our visit the registered manager had put these systems in place along with a review of people’s daily care communication records. We found the manager to be open, candid and quick to respond to concerns highlighted.
The registered manager used questionnaires as another way of gaining people’s views. People told us they thought these were useful and enjoyed receiving these. We looked at the feedback from questionnaires and found the feedback to be overwhelming positive.
Apollo Care West Wirral has also achieved the Investors in People Bronze Award. At the time of our inspection the provider had reached the final with six other organisations in the north west for The Regional Great British Care Awards, in the category of best employer.