Astar Homecare Ltd

Updated 25 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 was a comprehensive inspection.

This inspection took place on the 12 June and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours' notice of our intention to inspect the service. This is in line with our current methodology for inspecting domiciliary care agencies to make sure the registered manager can be available. Before the inspection, we asked the Registered Manager to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give us key information about their service what the service does well and if there are any improvements they plan to make.

The service was inspected by one inspector and one expert by experience. Additional telephone calls were carried out by the expert by experience. An expert by experience is someone who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses a similar service. The expert by experience on this occasion had experience of using a similar type of agency.

We reviewed all the information we had available about the service including notifications sent to us by the manager. Notifications are information about important events, which the Registered Manager is required to send us by law. We also looked at information sent to us from others, including family members and the local authority.

We looked at the care records of four people and reviewed records about how the service was managed. These included medicine, staff training, recruitment and supervision records, accidents and incidents reports, complaints, quality audits and policies and procedures. Reviewing these records helped us understand how the registered manager responded and acted on issues related to the care and welfare of people, and monitored the quality of the service.

During the inspection, we visited the agency's office and spoke with the registered manager one of the two care managers. We visited the homes of two people who used the service and spoke with the staff supporting them on that day. We also spoke on the phone to an additional eight people who use the service and three family members.

Updated 25 July 2018

Astar is a domiciliary care agency. Care and support is provided to people in their own homes. On the day of our inspection, 32 people were using the service.

This was the first inspection we had carried out on this service.

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. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were safe from abuse and bullying. Staff had knowledge of safeguarding and were aware of their responsibilities to report any concerns. The registered manager knew of their responsibilities regarding the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Risks were assessed and suitable control measures put in place, which still enabled people to maintain as much independence as possible. There were sufficient numbers of staff to ensure that people's needs were met and recruitment practices ensured that staff were of good character and suitable for their roles. People were supported to take their medicines safely. Systems were in place to record when medicines were given and were regularly checked to ensure there were no errors.

Staff received an induction and on-going training to make sure they had the right skills and knowledge to provide people with care in their own homes. Staff were well supported and had opportunities to discuss any concerns and training needs they might have.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

There were positive relationships between people and members of staff. Staff treated people with kindness and took the time to get to know them and their interests whilst providing their care. The service had involved people in producing their care plans to ensure that care was provided in the way they chose. In addition, people and their family members were provided with information about the service and what they could expect.

The care plans we looked at were detailed. Staff could describe how individual people preferred their care and support delivered and the importance of treating people with respect in their own homes.

The service worked in partnership with community professionals and the local authorities to meet people's healthcare needs.

The provider had a system in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received and identified and acted on areas for improvement.