Background to this inspection
Updated
1 December 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
This inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in two ‘supported living’ settings, so people can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means 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 2nd November 2021 and ended on 10th November 2021. We visited the office location on 2nd November 2021, spoke with people who use the service on 3rd November 2021 and spoke with staff on 9th November 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we received since the service was registered. 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 of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with four people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the provider, registered manager, care coordinator and support workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication 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. We reviewed feedback from one professional who regularly visits the service.
Updated
1 December 2021
About the service
Ashford Personnel and Solutions is an agency which provides care and support to people living in two supported living schemes and in their own homes. The service is currently supporting 19 people. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. The service is currently supporting four people with personal care with Learning Disabilities, Mental Health needs and physical limitations.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People we spoke with told us they feel safe in their homes with support from Ashford Personnel and Solutions. Staff had been recruited safely and were trained in different social and health conditions to provide effective care and there were suitable numbers to ensure all people’s needs could be met.
Staff assisted people to manage their homes and ensure they were clean and tidy, and staff supported people to minimise the risk of infections and stay as safe as possible during the COVID- 19 pandemic.
Systems and processes in place were relevant and appropriate and enabled the registered manager to have oversight of the quality of support being provided. The registered manager had an open approach to learning lessons from things which may have gone wrong and communicated these to staff to minimise the risk of reoccurrence.
People had comprehensive care and support plans which had been developed with them and key health and social care professionals involved in their support. These plans were personal and only contained relevant and appropriate information staff needed to support people they way they wished to be supported. Care plans were fluid and were changed and adapted based on what people wished to achieve. People were supported to do things which were important to them such as volunteering roles or shopping.
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.
The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
Right support:
• Model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and
independence
Right care:
• Care is person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy and human
rights
Right culture:
• Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people
using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives
The registered manager had a visible presence in the service where people lived. The registered manager told us they choose to work there instead of the main office so people can see them whenever they need to. People we spoke with were complimentary about the registered manager and one described the registered manager as their next of kin. We were told the registered manager was always available and supportive and people felt confident concerns raised would be dealt with promptly and correctly.
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 10/10/2018 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection as the service had not been inspected previously.
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.