Archived: Appletree Support Ltd

This is a summary of what people told us and what we found. If you wish to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

People told us they felt safe and comfortable when they were with their support workers. People's relatives said their family members had a good relationship with their support workers. They were satisfied the support workers were trained and prepared to deliver care safely. One said, 'We have a good lot of carers at the moment'.

We found the service had systems in place to ensure people were protected from the risk of abuse. They carried out the necessary checks before staff started work and there was a robust recruitment process in place. Where specialised techniques were needed staff were trained and their competence was assessed before they attended people.

Is the service effective?

People told us that they were satisfied with the care and support they received. One said the service was 'really good', and their support workers were 'good, very proficient'. Another said the care provided met their needs and was 'pretty good'. Relatives of people using the service described it as 'absolutely excellent', and 'brilliant, superb'.

We found people's care and support were based on thorough assessments with detailed and personalised support plans. Systems were in place to ensure care was delivered according to people's plans.

Is the service caring?

Relatives of people using the service told us support was provided in a caring way. One said, '[name] has brilliant carers, they are very patient.' Another said, 'We love them, brilliant'. People using the service told us they got on well with their support workers and had a good relationship with them.

Staff we spoke with were motivated to provide high quality care. They had a thorough knowledge of people's needs and how they preferred to have their care delivered.

Is the service responsive?

People told us they had been involved in their own or their relative's assessments and care planning, and that their views and preferences were taken into account. Care and support were provided with their consent. The service responded to changes in their needs or circumstances. They told us staff listened and were responsive when they contacted the office.

We found the service had systems in place to ensure the care provided was appropriate to peoples' changing needs.

Is the service well-led?

Staff told us they were supported to deliver high quality care and they were able to contact somebody for advice at any time of the day or night. They said if they raised concerns with the manager or senior staff, they were dealt with properly.

Systems were in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service provided. Risks were assessed and appropriate action plans were in place. There were processes in place to review and learn from incidents, accidents and complaints.

Care plans were kept under regular review and risks to people's safety were assessed and plans to reduce and monitor risks to both people using the service and staff were recorded.

Staff had received safeguarding training and those we spoke with were aware of how and when to report any concerns.

We spoke with four representatives of people who used the service and comments were positive. One person said; "the service is first class and they are all so caring" another person said; "I just can't speak highly enough of them all, they are wonderful".

In order to protect people using the service we saw the agency carried out a rigorous staff recruitment process. Due to the complex needs of people using the service, staff received specialised training for each person they supported.

There were processes in place to monitor accidents and incidents and the quality of service being provided. People using the service and their families were involved through annual questionnaires and spot checks.

The registered manager was not in post and not managing the regulatory activities at this location. Their name appears because they were still a registered manager on our register at the time. We found appropriate authorities had been notified.

We spoke with two relatives who told us they were given support in the delivery of care. They felt they were given the necessary help where required. We were told that an assessment of the needs was carried out at the initial visit. Everyone we spoke with said they had a care folder with all the details of their assessments and plans.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe with the members of staff who were visiting them and did not feel threatened or concerned by them. They told us they knew that they could speak with a senior member of staff if they had any concerns and were confident that something would be done about any matters raised.

People told us they were regularly asked if they were happy with the care and the service provided. They thought the agency was open to suggestions and actively sought views to help and improve the service provided.