Archived: Annix Care Ltd

Updated 3 December 2019

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

This inspection was carried out buy one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are 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 it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 07 November 2019 and ended on 18 November 2019. We visited the office location on 13 November 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We sought feedback from Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people and three relatives on the telephone to ask them about the care they received from the service. We spoke with four members of staff as well as the registered manager, and the administrative assistant.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We reviewed a range of data and records. This included a variety of records relating to the management of the service such as quality assurance, training and recruitment.

Updated 3 December 2019

About the service

Annix Care is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and companionship to

people living in their own homes. Some of these people were living with dementia and other physical disabilities. At the time of the inspection, 19 people received a service which included personal care from Annix 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 and what we found

People were safely supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had been employed through the provider's safe recruitment processes. Staff received training on safeguarding and knew how to identify and report any concerns. Risks had been assessed and management plans put in place. Staff administered people's medicines as prescribed.

People's needs were assessed prior to their service starting. The registered manager assessed peoples’ needs and there was a clear dedication to providing high-quality person-centred care to people, to enable people to remain living in their own homes. Staff worked with healthcare professionals to make sure health needs were supported. 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.

People and relatives thought staff were kind and caring. People's privacy and dignity were promoted and maintained by staff who recognised the importance of treating people respectfully.

People were involved in their care and were encouraged to share their views and preferences. People had personalised care plans which were regularly reviewed by staff. People had the opportunity to record end of life wishes and the staff worked with professionals to provide appropriate end of life care.

People, relatives and staff all felt able to approach the registered manager and were positive about their leadership style. Quality monitoring was in place and feedback was sought and used to make improvements to the service. There was a complaints policy in place which people and relatives were aware of.

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 15 May 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 reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.