Angel Care North Ltd

Updated 19 July 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. 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 was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

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

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 24 hours’ notice 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 26 June 2019 and ended on 4 July 2019. We visited the office location on 26 June and 4 July 2019.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since their registration. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with 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. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with one person who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We sought permission from one relative to use quotes from their letter of thanks to the service in our report. We spoke with six members of staff including the nominated individual, the registered manager, office staff, and care workers. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

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

Updated 19 July 2019

About the service

Angel Care North Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 18 people were using the service.

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

The service was exceptionally caring. Everyone had immense praise for the staff and the registered manager. There were significantly high levels of trust and confidence in the staff. People and their relatives told us they benefitted from working with the service. Staff had received high praise for working in compassionate and culturally sensitive ways. People felt very well supported and included in the care provided. Staff delivered high-quality person-centred care and support to people.

People felt safe using the service. Systems and processes were in place to keep people safe. Risk assessments were completed. Pre-employment checks were carried out to make sure staff were suitable to work in the service. Staff were trained in the safe use of medicines. They understood how to safeguard adults and were confident that the registered manager would respond to any concerns. When issues arose, the registered manager responded quickly and was accountable for their actions. They used the issues as learning opportunities.

Staff had received training relevant to people’s care needs. Support was also provided to staff through induction, training and supervision to enable them to be effective in their role.

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.

People and their relatives experienced a service which was responsive to their needs. In addition to care plans staff used an electronic system to share up to date information about people’s needs. Staff were able to upload changes and keep the registered manager informed. In turn, professionals were regularly kept up to date. They spoke about the close partnership working they had with the service.

Effective measures were in place to monitor the service. The registered manager used surveys and audits to check on the standards of care provided by the staff. Staff felt well supported to carry out their role and told us they could contact the registered manager at any time for advice. The registered manager used other professionals to seek their views. The service had a culture of continuous learning.

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 first registered with us on 10 August 2018. This was the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The service was inspected in line with our scheduled programme of inspection.

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.