We carried out a review of the data available to us about Absolute Care - Westbourne 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 Absolute Care - Westbourne, you can give feedback on this service.
Absolute Care - Westbourne is a domiciliary care agency. It provides care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. The inspection took place on 5, 8 and 9 October 2018 and was announced. We gave the provider one working days’ notice to ensure people and staff we needed to speak with were available. At the time of the inspection visit Absolute Care provided care and support for 36 people living in their own homes. All of the care packages were privately funded.
Not everyone using Absolute Care receives regulated activity; 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.
The service 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.
Our previous inspection of the service carried out in September 2017, identified four breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulation 2014. These included people’s rights not being protected because staff had not consistently acted in accordance with the mental Capacity Act 2005, people not always being protected against the risks associated with the unsafe management and use of medicines. Effective systems and processes had not been established to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the service and checks had not been consistently carried out to ensure that staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people. At this inspection we found the provider had made many improvements to ensure all of the regulations were met. These improvements included a total revision of the processes used to recruit and train staff, specific training for all staff around The Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the management and use of medicines and a robust programme of quality monitoring systems and process that ensured the management team had full oversight of the service and had effective governance processes in place.
People gave positive views and were very satisfied with the quality of service they received from Absolute Care. People told us, “I would recommend them, they have been very good” and “On the whole they are pretty good, I can’t fault them.”
Staff spoke knowledgeably about maintaining people’s safety and knew how to identify and raise concerns regarding any potential abuse. Every person we spoke with told us they felt safe with all the care staff employed by Absolute Care. They said care staff treated them with respect, and were friendly, kind and gentle when supporting them.
Staff told us they felt well supported in their roles and enjoyed their work. One staff member told us, “I received really good support all through my induction. I felt very well prepared when I started to provide care to people on my own. The shadowing process worked very well.” Staff expressed confidence in the management team and said there was an effective management structure in place that ensured they were listened to and fully supported in all areas of their roles.
People and staff spoke of an open, honest and caring culture that was available for them and said there was always someone they could speak to at any time, if they needed further advice and guidance. Staff were consistently well supported by a clear system of supervision, observations, spot checks and annual appraisals.
There was a robust recruitment and induction process for staff which ensured people were cared and supported by staff who had been safely recruited.
People told us staff were well trained and knowledgeable and delivered their care and support in the way they preferred. Training was delivered regularly through the use of independent training companies and electronic systems. Staff said they found the training useful and thorough.
The provider had a strong focus on the use of technology and how its’ use could improve people’s experience of the care and support they received. The use of technology supported the provider to plan, deliver and monitor people’s care. This led to people receiving safe, effective and responsive care and support.
Medicines were managed safely. There were clear medicine management systems in place which ensured care staff were provided with accurate, up to date information in order to support and administer medicines to people.
People's rights were protected because staff and management had received appropriate training and had a good working knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People’s consent to their care had been sought in line with legislation and guidance.
People told us they received good, personalised care and support from a regular staff team who knew them well. People and staff received weekly rotas that showed which member of care staff was delivering the care and at what time. People and care staff told us visit times gave care staff enough time to complete their role and travel times between visits were realistic.
There were systems in place to protect people and the security of their home when they received their care and support. Care staff wore uniforms and carried identification to ensure people knew who they were.
People and staff told us communication within the company was good. Staff spoke positively of the different communication systems in place which they found, “Very useful.” People confirmed they were kept informed if care staff were running a little late. One person told us, “If they are ever running a bit late, I get a call from the girls at the office to let me now. It works well.”
There were quality assurance systems and a range of policies and procedures to enable people to receive safe, effective care and support in their own homes. People’s views on the service were regularly sought. These views were then reviewed and analysed to monitor the level of service provided and drive forward improvement.
People knew how and who to complain to if they needed to. The provider had a complaints policy which gave people clear guidance and timescales to follow if they needed to complain. Complaints had been investigated and acted upon in accordance with the providers’ complaints policy.
Absolute Care Westbourne provides personal care and support to people who live in their own homes. At the time of our inspection they were providing personal care to 45 people.
Absolute Care Westbourne has 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.
We received very positive feedback from people we met, and spoke with. They told us they were very satisfied with the service they received and said the staff were, kind, friendly, professional and caring. People told us they would be happy to recommend the service to their family and friends.
People’s medicines were not always managed safely. There were systems in place for the management and administration of medicines but these had not always been followed. This meant that people may not always receive their medicines as they were prescribed.
The provider had a recruitment policy in place, however this had not always been followed and some staff records did not show a full recruitment check had been completed before they commenced employment at Absolute Care Westbourne.
Some staff had a basic understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. However, where people did not have capacity to make their own decisions, staff had not completed an assessment and a best interests decision procedure for them. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.
Management arrangements and quality monitoring systems at the service had not been implemented. The registered manager had begun to identify shortfalls within the service and there were action plans in place to start to address areas of weakness that had been identified. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.
The service had recently improved their system of assessing the risks to the health and safety of people. Risk assessments were clear and gave good guidance for staff to follow.
Staff received regular supervision meetings, however some staff had not received an annual appraisal since they had commenced their employment at Absolute Care Westbourne. This was an area for improvement.
Staff received training to ensure they had the skills and knowledge they required to be able to provide care safely.
Staff knew people well and understood their needs and how they preferred their care and support to be given. People were kept informed of any changes to their timetable or if staff were running late. People told us they felt safe and had confidence in the staff.
People knew how to raise concerns and complaints and records showed that these were investigated and responded to. Staff understood how to protect people from possible abuse and how to whistleblow.