Archived: Advance Home Care Ltd Also known as Carewatch Kingston & Merton

Advance Home Care Limited provides domiciliary care and support to 35 people living in Kingston, Merton and the surrounding area. Advance Home Care Limited is part of the Carewatch franchise and is known as Advance Home Care Ltd T/A Carewatch Kingston & Merton.

The service delivers care to people in their own homes, including personal care such as assistance with bathing, dressing, eating and medicines; home help covering all aspects of day-to-day housework, shopping, meal preparation and household duties. We only looked at the service for people receiving personal care during this inspection as this is the service that is registered with the Care Quality Commission.

At our previous inspection in June 2016 we rated the service good. At this inspection, we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People told us they felt safe with the support they received from staff. There were arrangements in place to help safeguard people from the risk of abuse. The provider had appropriate policies and procedures in place to inform people who used the service and staff how to report potential or suspected abuse. Staff we spoke with understood what constituted abuse and were aware of the steps to take to protect people.

There were sufficient numbers of skilled and trained staff working at the service. Staff's suitability to work with vulnerable adults at the service had been checked prior to employment. For instance, previous employer references had been sought and a criminal conviction check undertaken.

People received their medicines as required, from trained and competent staff. Staff ensured people were protected from the risk of acquiring an infection during the provision of their care.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Care records contained information to identify people's requirements and preferences in relation to their care and there was evidence to show that they had been consulted about decisions. The provider had maintained arrangements to monitor and assess the safety and quality of the service.

People and staff were asked for their views about how the service could be improved. If people were unhappy and wished to make a complaint, the provider had arrangements in place to deal with their concerns appropriately.

There was an open and transparent approach to the management of the service which included team meetings, supervision and competency assessments of staff, which included on-site observations and quality checks by telephoning people. The registered manager and regional manager from the Carewatch franchise acknowledged that regular, formal individual supervision meetings with staff had in previous months been sporadic and had acted to remedy this.

Advance Home Care Limited provides domiciliary care and support to 35 people living in Kingston and the surrounding area. Advance Home Care Limited is part of the Carewatch franchise that delivers care to people in many areas of the United Kingdom. This includes personal care such as assistance with bathing, dressing, eating and medicines; home help covering all aspects of day-to-day housework, shopping, meal preparation and household duties. We only looked at the service for people receiving personal care during this inspection as this is the service that is registered with the Care Quality Commission.

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.

People told us they felt safe with the support they received from staff. There were arrangements in place to help safeguard people from the risk of abuse. The provider had appropriate policies and procedures in place to inform people who used the service and staff how to report potential or suspected abuse. Staff we spoke with understood what constituted abuse and were aware of the steps to take to protect people.

People had risk assessments and risk management plans to reduce the likelihood of harm. Staff knew how to use the information to keep people safe. The provider ensured there were safe recruitment procedures in place to help protect people from the risks of being cared for by staff assessed to be unfit or unsuitable.

Staff received training in areas of their work identified as essential by the provider. We saw documented evidence of this. This training enabled staff to support people effectively.

Appropriate arrangements were in place in relation to administering and the recording of medicines which helped to ensure they were given to people safely.

The registered manager had a good understanding of their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Records showed people were involved in making decisions about their care and support and their consent was sought and documented.

People were involved in planning the support they received and their views were sought when decisions needed to be made about how they were supported. The service involved them in discussions about any changes that needed to be made to keep them safe and promote their wellbeing.

Staff respected people’s privacy and treated them with respect and dignity. Staff supported people according to their personalised care plans.

The provider encouraged people to raise any concerns they had and responded to them in a timely manner.

Staff gave positive feedback about the management of the service. The registered manager was approachable and fully engaged with providing good quality care for people who used the service. They encouraged a positive and open culture by being supportive to staff and by making themselves approachable.

The provider had systems in place to continually monitor the quality of the service and people were asked for their opinions and action plans were developed where required to address areas for improvements.