Archived: Allied Healthcare Chichester

We spoke with three care workers. They all said they had received sufficient training to undertake their role and felt well supported in their roles. We saw documented evidence that staff received regular training and supervision.

We looked at the care records of three people. We saw evidence that people's needs had been assessed and that care plans were in place. The care plans were regularly reviewed and updated to reflect any changes that were required.

We found that people who used the service had been asked for their views about their care and treatment and that comments were acted on. The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service it provided.

We spoke with five people who have used the service, or their relatives. We also spoke with three members of staff who were involved in providing care to people. All interviews were carried out by telephone after we had visited the office.

People generally expressed satisfaction with the agency and with the quality of care provided. People said that care staff treated them with respect and that they felt safe with the care and support they received. One person told us, 'They (care workers) very much treat me with respect and, I hope, with a degree of friendship.'

They also confirmed they had been given a copy of their care plan and that they had agreed to the care provided. However, people also told us that representatives of the agency had not visited to review the care provided to ensure their needs had been met. One person told us, 'My care plan is in the kitchen ' it has been discussed with me.' A relative told us, 'We have a care plan. I have told them it needs updating. I can't remember the last time it was done.'

We looked at a selection of care records. They demonstrated that the planning and delivery of care had not been routinely reviewed to ensure they met people's current needs. Several care records had not been reviewed for about a year.