Ambar Care Ltd

Updated 20 April 2021

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of two inspectors. One inspector reviewed records and contacted people using the service and staff who were working for the service, to gain their view of the care provided. Another inspector visited the service location to meet with the registered manager.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. For this service the provider was also the registered manager.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short notice period of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 9 February 2021 and ended on 2 March 2021. We visited the office location on 15 February 2021.

What we did before the inspection

Prior to the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the provider/registered manager and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medicine records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 20 April 2021

About the service

Ambar Care Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, the service was providing care to 10 people.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People told us they felt safe with the staff and the management. They knew how to raise a concern and were confident it would be dealt with appropriately.

People appreciated receiving care from the same staff group, who generally visited at the planned time and had not missed a call. If staff were going to be late, people were informed. People told us staff were kind, friendly, treated them with dignity and promoted their independence.

Care plans were person-centred and provided guidance for staff on how to support people with their care. People and relatives told us they were involved in their planning of care and care plans were reviewed regularly.

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

Safe staff recruitment processes were in place. Staff followed an induction programme, which included shadowing experienced staff. The registered manager was qualified to teach specific subjects and undertook the practical training with staff. Some mandatory training was completed on-line.

Medicines audits were completed, and any actions required were followed up. People were supported to take their medicines and the Medicine Administration Record (MAR) showed that people had received medicines as prescribed. Some areas of recording could be improved and made clearer and we discussed this with the registered manager.

Infection prevention and control procedures were followed by staff and they had received training in donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE). People confirmed staff always wore PPE and disposed of it correctly.

Quality assurance visits were undertaken by the registered manager which provided oversight of the service. People and relatives knew the registered manager by name and confirmed they often visited them for review of care plans or spot checks on staff competency.

The registered manager was passionate when speaking about the service, people they provided care for, and acknowledged the importance of valuing staff. Staff told us the registered manager was approachable and they were confident in their management skills.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 24 November 2017 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection as a new service.

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.