We carried out a review of the data available to us about A & T Caring Services 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 A & T Caring Services, you can give feedback on this service.
A & T Caring Services is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 23 people receiving a service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were protected from the risks of abuse and said they felt safe with the staff providing their support and care. Risks to people’s personal safety had been assessed and plans were in place to minimise those risks. Staff recruitment and staffing levels supported people to stay safe while living as independent a life as possible.
People received effective care and support from staff who knew them well and were well trained. People received effective health care and support where needed. Medicines were handled correctly and safely. People's rights to make their own decisions were protected. They 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.
People were treated with care and kindness. They were consulted about their care and support and could change how things were done if they wanted to. People were treated with respect and their dignity was upheld. This was confirmed by people and their relatives who provided feedback. People's diverse needs were identified and met and their right to confidentiality was protected.
People received care and support that was personalised to meet their individual needs. Staff worked well together for the benefit of people and were focused on the needs of the people using the service.
People benefitted from staff who were happy in their work and felt well managed and supported. People benefitted from a service which had an open and inclusive culture and encouraged suggestions and ideas for improvement from people who use the service, their relatives and staff.
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 (report published 11 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.
A & T Caring Services is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were eight people receiving a service. The service has a small staff team of four. The staff team consists of the two company directors, one of whom is the registered manager, and two additional care workers.
The service had a registered manager as required. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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. The registered manager was present and assisted us during the inspection.
People were protected from risks to their health and wellbeing and were protected from the risk of abuse. Safe recruitment practices were followed before new staff were employed to work with people. Checks were made to ensure staff were of good character and suitable for their role.
Staff received training and supervision to enable them to do their jobs safely and to a good standard.
People were treated with respect and their privacy and dignity was promoted. People said their care workers were kind and caring. Staff were responsive to the needs of the people they supported and enabled them to maintain their independence as much as possible.
People's health and well-being was assessed with measures put in place to ensure people's needs were met in an individualised way. Medicines were managed well and staff handling medicines were only allowed to do so after completing their training and being assessed as competent. Where included in their care package, people were supported to eat and drink enough.
People received support that was individualised to their specific needs. Their needs were monitored and care plans reviewed regularly or as changes occurred. People's rights to make their own decisions, where possible, were protected and promoted by staff.
People benefitted from receiving a service that was managed well. Quality assurance systems were in place to monitor the quality of the care and support being delivered and the running of the service.