Care Quality Services Leeds

Updated 11 February 2020

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 and two Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service.

Service and service type

Allied Health Services Leeds is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager who was in the process to become 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.

We gave the service 48 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 14 January 2020 and ended on 20 January 2020. We visited the office location on 14 January.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We did not ask the provider to send 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 6 people who used the service and seventeen relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the manager, regional manager and the nominated individual.

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

Updated 11 February 2020

About the service

Allied Health Services Leeds is a domiciliary care agency, providing personal care to older adults and people with physical disabilities and complex health needs. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 60 people. 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.

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

There were mixed views in relation to the quality of care and support people experienced. Most people told us they felt safe when regular support workers were providing support to them. Staff understood what it meant to protect people from abuse. They told us they were confident any concerns they raised would be taken seriously by the registered manager.

There were enough staff available to ensure people’s care and support needs were met. However, people told us staff did not always arrive on time and were not told in advance of this. People and their relatives told us the same staff did not always support them especially on weekends. The provider recognised this was important to people and told us this was something they would look into. The provider had effective recruitment procedures in place to make sure staff had the required skills and were of suitable character and background. Staff received training which supported them to have the knowledge and skills to do their job well and effectively to meet people’s needs.

Safe procedures were in place to make sure people received their medicines as prescribed. However, audits did not always pick any errors in missed signatures. We spoke to the registered manager who put an action in place on the same day. There were system’s in place to monitor the quality of the service and make improvements when needed.

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 were supported to access relevant health and social care professionals to ensure they were getting the care and support they needed to best meet their needs. People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff were committed to promoting people’s independence. Staff supported people to have enough to eat and drink and to access healthcare services when they needed.

People’s care and support was planned and delivered in a way that ensured it met their needs and reflected their preferences. The care records we looked at included risk assessments. They had been devised to help minimise and monitor the risks, while promoting the person’s independence as far as possible.

People knew how to complain and were confident the registered manager would resolve their complaint. People who used the service, relatives and staff could express their views about the service which were acted upon.

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

Rating at last inspection:

This is the first rating for the service since been registered.

Why we inspected: This was a planned 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.