Background to this inspection
Updated
13 December 2019
The inspection:
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
This inspection was completed by one inspector and one 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 care service.
Service and service type:
Access Dignity Care Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses, flats and specialist housing. It provides a service predominantly to older adults in Walton on the Naze and the surrounding areas. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting 49 people and employed 28 members of staff.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. The registered manager was also the registered provider. This means that they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that someone was available at the office. Inspection site activity took place on 23 October 2019 and telephone calls to people using the service, staff and relatives were made on additional days. We visited the office site location to see the registered manager and office staff and to review care records and policies and procedures.
What we did when preparing for and carrying out this inspection:
Before the inspection, we reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about and we sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection, we spoke with five people and seven relatives of people who use the service to ask about their experience of the care provided. We spoke to members of staff including the registered manager who is also the provider, and another director of the company.
We reviewed a range of records. These included five people's care and medication records. We also looked at five staff files including supervision records, records relating to the management of the service and a variety of policies and procedures developed and implemented by the provider.
Updated
13 December 2019
About the service:
Access Dignity Care Limited is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care to older people in their own homes within the Walton on Naze and surrounding areas. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting 49 people with personal care. 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.
People's experience of using this service and what we found
People felt safe and were supported by safely recruited and trained staff who understood their needs and preferences and knew them well. People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed and access health professionals should they require and wish this. Where the service was responsible, people were supported to maintain a balanced diet. People were supported by staff who were respectful, kind and compassionate.
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 those important to them were at the heart of their care. People were very involved in the planning and delivery of exceptionally person centred and holistic support from staff. This had significantly improved people’s physical and mental wellbeing, independence and overall quality of life. Everyone said staff were exceptionally kind and caring. Staff were able to describe how they ensured people's dignity was respected. People and their relatives said they were involved in their care plans.
People were empowered by passionate staff who encouraged people to achieve their goals and follow their interests. People were supported by staff to improve their confidence, spend time in their local community and build trusting relationships with staff and other people receiving care to improve their quality of life.
People were consistently supported and encouraged by staff to engage in activities which were meaningful to them. This meant people consistently achieved positive outcomes with their care and support and remained independent for longer.
People were actively involved in the planning and review of their care and encouraged to give feedback about the service. People's needs, goals and preferences were included in person centred care plans which gave staff clear guidance on how to meet their needs. This ensured people received care and support in a way they preferred.
Where people had made complaints, the registered manager had dealt with these thoroughly and provided feedback to people and their families. The registered manager reviewed the quality of the service to ensure areas of improvement were identified and people continued to experience a high quality of care. The registered manager promoted an inclusive and positive culture at the service which meant people felt able to communicate openly with staff and the management team.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 17 March 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.