Able Homecare Marylebone

Able Homecare Marylebone provides care and support to people living in their own homes. There were three people using the service when we visited.

There was a registered manager at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Risk assessments and care plans contained enough information for care staff. All records were reviewed within six months or sooner if people’s needs changed.

Care staff assisted people to take their medicines safely. Care workers told us they had completed medicines administration training and understood how to safely administer medicines.

Safeguarding adults from abuse procedures were robust and staff understood how to safeguard people they supported. Staff had received safeguarding adults training and were able to explain the possible signs of abuse as well as the correct procedure to follow if they had concerns.

Staff demonstrated a good level of knowledge about their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People signed their care records to indicate that they consented to their care.

Staff demonstrated an understanding of people’s life histories and current circumstances and supported people to meet their individual needs in a caring way. Care records contained enough information about people’s needs and preferences.

Recruitment procedures ensured that only staff who were suitable, worked within the service. There was an induction programme which included shadowing for new staff, which prepared them for their role.

Care workers were provided with appropriate training to help them carry out their duties. Care workers received regular supervision of their performance. There were enough staff employed to meet people’s needs and visits were appropriately arranged to ensure people’s needs were met.

Care workers supported people to maintain a balanced nutritious diet where this formed part of the package of care being provided to them. People were supported effectively with their health needs, when needed and were supported to access a range of healthcare professionals.

Relatives and staff gave positive feedback about the registered manager and told us they provided feedback about the service. They knew how to make complaints and told us they felt listened to. There was a complaints policy and procedure in place.

The organisation had effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. The registered manager reviewed various areas of the service on a regular basis. Information was reported to the CQC as required.

Care workers protected people's privacy and dignity and treated them with respect. For example, one person described a carer as 'very helpful and polite' and another person said the carer was 'extremely professional.'

People told us that their needs had been assessed when they first started receiving care. However, care plans we saw did not always document the changing needs of the person using the service.

People we spoke with had confidence in the skills of their care workers. They told us they were able to give views about the service and felt listened to. They knew how to raise concerns if there were any but they had not felt the need to do so.