We carried out a review of the data available to us about Ace Care Professionals Ltd on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Ace Care Professionals Ltd, you can give feedback on this service.
Ace Care Professionals is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 12 people at the time of the inspection. 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 and what we found
People felt safe with the staff team and felt that positive working relationships had been fostered. Staff were aware of types of abuse that could occur, had received training in safeguarding and were familiar with processes to raise these. Swift action was taken by the registered manager to address any issues and learn lessons.
Staffing levels met the needs of people. The staff team had been given additional training in Covid 19 awareness to reflect the pandemic to minimise the risk of infection spreading.
Effective systems were in place to support people with their medicines, which were documented, audited in real time with training and staff competencies carried out. The risks faced by people when being supported were assessed, up to date and reviewed.
People told us that the service was well run and well organised with their views being regularly sought as to the quality of the support they received.
Supervision and spot-checks were carried out on staff performance and regular audits were carried out to further check on the quality of the service provided.
The registered manager had the experience and skills to manage the service and was aware of the requirements to notify CQC of any adverse events.
Support plans provided a person-centred approach to care and the service had sought to liaise with other agencies as part of the support they provided.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
The last rating for this service was Good (published 19 October 2018).
Why we inspected
Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe and Well-led only. This was to follow up on a safeguarding referral that had been received by us as well the opportunity to assess how the agency had kept people safe in light of the pandemic.
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.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Ace Care Professionals on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
The service had a registered manager who was also the provider. 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 we spoke with were very positive about the service they received. They told us they were very happy with the staff and felt that the staff were reliable and kind. They were able to speak with the manager when needed and they had no complaints. People who had raised concerns said they had been dealt with promptly and satisfactorily.
People were supported to have maximum choice and staff supported them in the way that they preferred. Care records showed that people were involved in decisions about their care and support and they contained good information about the support people required and how they liked things done.
The provider had systems to ensure that people were protected from the risk of harm or abuse. There were policies and procedures in place to guide staff in relation to safeguarding, and risks to people’s health and safety were identified and plans put in place to reduce the risk.
Good recruitment practices were followed which included the completion of pre-employment checks prior to new members of staff working at the service. Staff received regular supervision and training to enable them to work safely and effectively.
The service had a small and stable management team. Staff found the manager to be approachable and supportive. People were asked regularly if they were satisfied with the service and action was taken to address any areas for improvement. Records we looked at were complete and up to date.