Archived: AliMo Care Ltd

Updated 17 July 2015

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, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector. The service was last inspected in January 2014 and we found no breaches in regulations at that time.

Prior to the inspection we looked at the information we had about the service. This information included the statutory notifications that the provider had sent to CQC. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We had not asked for the Provider Information Record (PIR) to be submitted.

We contacted three social care professionals as part of our inspection and asked them to provide feedback on their experiences of working with the service. The comments we received have been included in the body of the report.

During the inspection we visited four people in their own homes and also spoke with four relatives of people who received a service. We met with the provider, the registered manager, the office manager and two field supervisors. We received feedback from five care staff.

We looked at five care records, six staff recruitment files and training records, and other records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 17 July 2015

The inspection was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice that we were starting our inspection because we wanted key people to be available.

AliMo Care Ltd provides a domiciliary care service to people in their own homes who live in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. They predominantly provide a service to older people but do support some younger people with physical disabilities. At the time of the inspection the service was providing a service to 37 people and there was a team of 31 care staff.

There was a registered manager in post at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

We have recommended that the registered provider seek advice and guidance from a reputable source in order to ensure that the voice of people being supported and the staff team is heard and used to plan on-going improvements to the service. The registered provider had a plan for expanding the service however the current arrangements for assessing the quality and safety of the service was inconsistent and did not include all aspects of the running of the service.

People said they felt safe with the care staff who visited them. Care staff received safeguarding training as part of their mandatory training. They were aware of safeguarding issues and knew to report any concerns they had to the registered manager, the local authority or the Care Quality Commission. Care staff were recruited using safe recruitment procedures and this ensured that unsuitable staff were not employed. Management plans were put in place where risks had been identified in order to reduce or eliminate that risk.

People were looked after by care staff who had received the appropriate training and support. Staff were supported to undertake their roles effectively and were monitored regularly to ensure they provided a service that met people’s needs. People were involved in setting up the service and received the care and support they expected. Care staff were knowledgeable about the people they visited and spoke about them respectfully. People were provided with the support they needed with nutrition and fluids and were supported to access health care services if needed.

People were looked after by a small number of care staff because of the way the visits were organised. The care staff had good working relationships with the staff that supported them. People were treated with kindness and respect and were always included in making decisions about their daily lives.

Assessment and care planning processes ensured each person received the service they needed and met their individual needs. Their preferences and choices were respected. People were provided a copy of their care and support plan. People felt able to raise any concerns they may have and had been provided with a copy of the service’s complaints procedure.