Abletrust Care

Updated 6 July 2018

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 on 23 May 2018 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

Inspection activity started on 23 May 2018. It included telephone calls to people, relatives and staff. We visited the office location on 24 May 2018 to see the manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. Later that day, we visited one person in their home.

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Before the inspection we gathered information about the service by contacting the local and placing authorities. In addition, we reviewed records held by CQC which included notifications, complaints and any safeguarding concerns. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. This enabled us to ensure we were addressing potential areas of concern at the inspection.

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

Before the inspection we received questionnaires from four people, four staff and one healthcare professional. As part of our inspection we spoke with three people, the registered manager, two care staff and the administrator. We read care plans for three people, medicines records and daily notes. We looked at one staff file and records of staff training and supervision. We looked at records of the provider’s spot checks and staff meeting minutes. We also saw records of quality assurance audits and surveys.

Updated 6 July 2018

This inspection took place on 23 May 2018 and was announced. Our last inspection was sin March 2017 where we identified some gaps in staff files and we made a recommendation. We rated the service as requires Improvement, due to a history of the legal requirements not being met. At this inspection, we found that improvements had been made to staff files and improvements to overall record keeping and governance had become embedded.

This service 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 adults, people with physical disabilities and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection, Abletrust was providing support to eight people.

CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. Everyone using Abletrust Care receives regulated activity.

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’s care was planned in a person centred way and care plans reflected people’s needs, as well as their preferences and routines. Risks to people were routinely assessed and plans were put in place to keep them safe. Staff helped people to identify goals and we saw evidence of people’s independence being promoted through care delivery. People’s care plans were regularly reviewed and the provider ensured that people were involved in their care.

Care calls were scheduled in a way that ensured people received care at the times that they were expecting it. The provider carried out regular spot checks and surveys to gather feedback and monitor staff practice. Staff had the right training and support for their roles and received regular one to one supervision. Staff were knowledgeable about their roles in safeguarding people from abuse and we saw evidence of the provider using safeguarding concerns to learn lessons to improve practice.

People told us that staff were kind and respectful when visiting them in their homes. Staff knew how to provide care in a way that promoted people’s privacy and dignity. The provider carried out a variety of checks to measure the quality of care that people received. People were protected from the risk of the spread of infection and the provider carried out assessments of risks within people’s home environment.

People received their medicines safely and staff regularly worked alongside healthcare professionals to meet people’s needs. Staff carried out a thorough assessment of people’s needs before they received a service. Where people had specific dietary needs, care was planned in this area, Staff sought consent from people and obtained the correct legal documentation where people could not consent. We saw evidence of the provider working with relevant agencies and professionals.

People had regular contact with the registered manager and the provider had systems in place to involve people in decisions about their care. Staff felt supported by management and the provider had carried out checks on all staff to ensure that they were suitable for their roles. There was a complaints policy in place and people told us they were confident any issues that they raised would be addressed.