Apex Prime Care - Kent

Updated 14 March 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was carried out by an inspector and an assistant inspector. An expert by experience made telephone calls to people using the agency. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert had experience caring for an older person.

Service and service type:

Apex Prime Care – Kent is a domiciliary care service. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to the elderly, people that were living with dementia and people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder.

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.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service 5 days’ notice of the inspection site visit because we required the registered manager to gain consent from people to contact them for feedback.

Inspection site visit activity started on 26 February 2019 and ended on that day. We visited the office location on 26 February 2019 to see the registered manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures.

What we did:

Before visiting the service, we looked information sent to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) through notifications. Notifications are information we receive when a significant event happens, like a death or a serious injury. We also looked at information sent to us by the registered manager through the Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR contains 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 reviewed four people's care records, which included care plans, risk assessments, daily care records and medicines records. We looked at documentation that related to staff management and recruitment including four staff files. We also looked at a sample of audits, surveys, minutes of meetings and policies and procedures.

We gathered people’s experiences of the service. We spoke with 11 people. We looked at feedback given by people through the providers quality audit processes. We also spoke with the registered manager and four members of staff. We received feedback from three external health and social care professionals.

Updated 14 March 2019

About the service:

Apex Prime Care - Kent is domiciliary care provider that was providing personal care to people in their own homes. People receiving support had a range of needs including, the elderly, people that were living with dementia and people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection there were 39 people receiving personal care.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they felt safe with the staff who knew how to meet their needs, in the way they preferred. People were at the centre of their care and support; care plans enabled people to maintain their independence. Care records were regularly reviewed to ensure they met people’s needs. Staff knew what action to take to protect people from the risk of abuse.

People’s needs were assessed prior to receiving a service. People’s protected characteristics under the Equalities Act were supported. Potential risks posed to people and staff had been mitigated. Staff supported people to attend healthcare appointments and express their views about their support.

The registered manager was mindful to be sure there were enough staff before considering supporting new people.

People told us staff were skilled in carrying out their role. Staff said they were supported by the registered manager and management team.

People told us the staff were kind and caring; staff promoted people’s privacy and dignity at all times.

People were encouraged to raise any concerns they had or make suggestions to improve the service they received. Action was taken to improve the service people received.

Staff felt there was an open culture where they were kept informed about any changes to their role. Staff told us the management team were approachable and listened to their ideas and suggestions.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service; regular audits were carried out by the management team.

Rating at last inspection:

This was the first comprehensive ratings inspection since the agency registered with the Care Quality Commission February 2018.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration. Newly registered services receive an inspection within 12 months of the registration.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive. We will carry out another scheduled inspection to make sure the service continues to maintain Good.