Archived: Allied Healthcare Cannock

Updated 25 June 2016

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 visit took place on 26 and 27 April 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider four days’ notice because the location provides domiciliary care to people living in their own homes, and we needed to be sure that people who used the service and staff were available to speak with us. At the time of our inspection 306 people were using the service.

The inspection team consisted of 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. The expert by experience did not attend the office base, but spoke with people who used the service by telephone.

We used a range of different methods to help us understand people’s experience of using the service. We visited two people in their own homes and spoke with 20 people by telephone and two relatives. We sent out questionnaires to people who used the service and staff, and used this information to make a judgement about the service. We spoke with seven care staff and one field care supervisor and a care co-ordinator, the registered manager, and the operations support manager.

We checked the information we held about the service and the provider. This included notifications that the provider had sent to us about incidents at the service and information we had received from the public. We also reviewed the current monitoring information from the local authority and commissioners. We used this information to formulate our inspection plan.

We also had a provider information return (PIR) sent to us. A PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service. This includes what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. As part of our planning, we reviewed the information in the PIR.

We looked at the care plans of seven people to see if they were accurate and up to date. We reviewed two staff files to see how staff were recruited and checked the training records to see how staff were trained and supported to deliver care appropriate to meet each person’s needs.

We also looked at records that related to the management of the service. This included the systems the provider had in place to ensure the quality of the service was continuously monitored and reviewed to drive improvement.

Updated 25 June 2016

We inspected this service on 26 and 27 April 2016. This was an announced inspection and we telephoned the week prior to our inspection to arrange home visits and telephone interviews with people. This was our first inspection since the new provider registered with us in February 2015. Allied Healthcare Cannock provides support to people who live in their own homes in the Cannock and Rugeley area. At the time of our inspection visit, 306 people were using the service.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 felt safe having support from the provider. Staff were knowledgeable about the different types of abuse that could occur and were aware of the possible signs of abuse. Staff knew how to respond to any concerns and were confident that these would be dealt with by the provider. Risks to individuals were assessed and managed, and people were involved with these decisions. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and they were recruited safely. When needed, medicines were managed safely.

Staff had the knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs. Staff received an induction, ongoing training and annual appraisals to ensure they were competent to carry out their roles. People were involved in making decisions about their care, and staff would gain people’s consent before they gave them support. Staff supported people to maintain a balanced diet and have their health needs met when this was needed.

Positive caring relationships were developed between the staff and people who used the service. People were treated in a kind and caring manner and their privacy and dignity was respected and promoted. People were listened to and they were encouraged to maintain their independence.

People received care that was individual to them and their support plans reflected how they preferred to receive this care. They were enabled to contribute to the planning of their care, and their needs were reviewed when required. Concerns and complaints were responded to and people were encouraged to raise any issues.

People spoke positively about the management and leadership in place and good practice was recognised and rewarded. There were systems in place that were effective at monitoring the quality of the service, and used to identify trends to drive continuous improvement.