Abbots Care Limited (East Dorset branch)

Updated 13 April 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 one adult social care inspector.

Service and service type:

Abbots Care Limited (East Dorset branch) provides domiciliary support services to people in their own homes. It provides a service to older people; some of whom have a physical disability, sensory impairment or dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 11 people receiving personal care from the service.

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 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit so that we could be sure the registered manager was available when we visited, and that consent could be sought from people to receive home visits from the inspector. Inspection site visit activity started on 21 March 2019 and ended on 22 March 2019. We visited the office location on both days to see the registered manager and care staff; and to review care records, policies and procedures.

What we did:

Before the inspection we reviewed all the information we held about the service. This included notifications the service had sent us. A notification is the means by which providers tell us important information that affects the running of the service and the care people receive.

We did not request a Provider Information Return. This is information providers 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 took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection we visited three people in their own homes and talked with them about the service they receive. We met with the registered manager and deputy manager. We spoke with four members of staff including a senior care worker. Following the site visit we had telephone conversations with two relatives and one health professional.

We reviewed four people's care files, policies, risk assessments, complaints, quality audits and the provider’s 2019 quality survey results. We looked at four staff files, the recruitment process, office communication with care staff, training, supervision and practice observation records.

Updated 13 April 2019

About the service:

Abbots Care Limited (East Dorset branch) provides domiciliary support services to people in their own homes. It provides a service to older people; some of whom have a physical disability, sensory impairment or dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 11 people receiving personal care from the service.

Rating at last inspection:

This was the service’s first inspection as they were registered with the Care Quality Commission in April 2018.

Why we inspected:

This inspection was a scheduled inspection based on our methodology of inspecting services within 12 months of them registering with us.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were supported by staff who had received safeguarding training and understood how to keep them safe from harm or abuse. People’ individual risks were assessed and managed. The service had a recruitment and selection process that helped reduce the risk of unsuitable staff supporting people.

People and relatives felt the staff were well trained and competent. They felt involved and informed. People’s views about the service were frequently sought and used to help make improvements. Compliments were passed on to staff which helped them feel motivated and proud about their work.

People enjoyed visits from the staff and said the service had enabled them to stay well and safe at home. They described the care staff as kind, caring and patient. People were supported by staff who were respectful and knew them well. People could make decisions and express their views about the care and support they received. They were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People’s care plans were personalised and included their preferred method of communication which was known, respected and met. Care reviews were carried out with people’s full involvement. People were supported to maintain links with their local community and follow their interests including faith-based activities.

The management of the service were well liked and respected by the staff. Staff felt supported, recognised and valued. Good communication helped the team to remain cohesive and respond quickly to changes in people’s needs.

The service had established positive working relationships with other agencies including district nurses, physiotherapists and a hospital discharge team. This was helping people to stay well and, in the case of the latter, return home without unnecessary delays following treatment.

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

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.