Above & Beyond Care Ltd Also known as Above and Beyond Care Limited

Updated 18 July 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This announced comprehensive inspection was carried out by one inspector and an assistant inspector on 8 June 2018. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that someone would be available.

The inspection site visit activity started on 8 June 2018 and ended 12 June 2018. On the first day we visited the office location to see the registered manager. We spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager and the administrator. We reviewed six people’s care records, records relating to the management of the service, training records, and the recruitment records of three care workers. We spoke with 10 people who used the service and four relatives on the telephone. On the second day we spoke with two care workers on the telephone.

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We looked at information we held about the service including notifications they had made to us about important events. We also reviewed all other information sent to us from other stakeholders for example the local authority and members of the public.

Updated 18 July 2018

Above & Beyond Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to adults. At the time of this announced inspection of 8 June 2018 there were 40 people who used the service. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of our inspection to make sure that someone was available.

At our last inspection of 12 April 2016, the service was rated good overall. The key questions for safe, effective, responsive and well-led were rated good and the key question caring was rated outstanding. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good overall and the rating of outstanding in caring. 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.

The service continued to provide an extremely caring service. Without exception, people had very positive relationships with their care workers. People’s dignity, privacy and independence were respected and promoted. People’s views were listened to and valued and as a result they were provided with a very personalised service which met their needs and preferences.

The service continued to provide people with a safe service. Risks to people continued to be managed well, including risks from abuse and in their daily lives. The service learned from incidents to improve the service. There were enough care workers to cover people’s planned care visits. Recruitment of care workers was done safely. Where people required support with their medicines, this was done safely. There were infection control procedures in place to guide care workers in how to minimise the risks of cross infection.

The service continued to provide people with an effective service. People were supported by care workers who were trained and supported to meet their needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and care workers cared for them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Systems were in place to support people with their dietary needs, if required. People were supported to have access to health professionals where needed. The service worked with other organisations involved in people’s care to provide a consistent service.

The service continued to provide people with a responsive service. People received care and support which was assessed, planned and delivered to meet their individual needs. There were systems in place to support and care for people at the end of their lives, where required. A complaints procedure was in place.

The service continued to provide a well-led service. The service used comments from people and care workers to drive improvement. The service had a quality assurance system and shortfalls were identified and addressed. As a result the quality of the service continued to improve.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.