Background to this inspection
Updated
3 April 2020
The inspection:
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
The inspection was carried out by 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.
Service and service type:
Avante Home Care and Support Service is a domiciliary care agency which provides personal care and support for people in their own homes.
The service did not have manager registered with the Care Quality Commission at the time of the inspection. This means that the provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection:
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or manager would be in the office to support the inspection. We visited the office location on 03 and 05 March 2020. We carried out telephone calls to people and their relatives on 03 March 2020.
What we did:
We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse or when a person dies. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
During the inspection
During the inspection, we spoke with ten people who used the service, four relatives, three care workers, two field care officers and the manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included five people's care records, risk assessments and medicine records. We also looked at five staff files including their recruitment and supervision records. We reviewed records relating to the management of the service including; quality assurance records and a variety of policies and procedures implemented by the provider.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We received the training data, and service user guide, which were sent to us in a timely manner.
Updated
3 April 2020
About the service:
Avante Home Care and Support Service is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support for people in their own homes. The agency provides care and support for people in the Kent area. This included older people, people with learning disabilities, mental health, physical disability and sensory impairment. At the time of our inspection, 134 people were receiving personal care from the agency.
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.
People’s experience of using this service:
People told us they were safe with the staff that supported them. People were kept safe by staff who had been trained to meet people’s needs. The new manager and staff knew what their responsibilities were in relation to keeping people safe from the risk of abuse.
Care plans contained detailed risk assessments. Risk to people’s health and wellbeing were addressed and mitigated. Environmental risk assessments were also in place, which identified and reduced any environmental risks to people and staff.
Robust recruitment processes continued to be in place. This prevented unsuitable staff from working with vulnerable adults. People told us staff were reliable and consistent. Staff were skilled in carrying out their role. The manager ensured staff were appropriately trained.
People told us they felt at ease with staff. People were cared for by staff who treated them with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff were committed to providing person centred care and respected people’s individual preferences.
People’s needs were assessed prior to receiving a service including their protected characteristics under the Equalities Act 2010.
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.
At the time of the inspection, the service had a new manager in post who was undergoing registration with the Commission and was effectively overseeing the day to day running of the agency.
The service had an effective system in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the services provided. Staff told us there was an open culture where they were kept informed about any changes to their role. Staff and people told us the manager was approachable and listened to their ideas and suggestions.
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 21 June 2017).
Why we inspected:
This was a planned comprehensive inspection.
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.