We carried out a review of the data available to us about A50 Ltd on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about A50 Ltd, you can give feedback on this service.
A50 is a domiciliary care agency. It provides nursing and personal care to people living in their own homes. The service provides support to children and older people. At the time of our inspection, the service supported 7 people with conditions such as cerebral palsy, dementia and mobility needs.
People's experience of using this service and what we found
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.
Although training provided for staff was meeting their role expectations, some staff's understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) was limited. Action taken by the provider to address this gap will be reviewed at our next planned inspection.
The provider had made important improvements since the last inspection to ensure safe and effective care delivery to people. There was a strong leadership at the service with shared responsibilities to support the staff team and monitor the quality of the care provided.
Feedback received from family members was mainly positive and praised the staff team for their caring and kind interactions with people. People's wishes and choices were adhered to with respect and their independence was valued by the staff that supported them.
The service was in the process of updating people's risk assessments to ensure they appropriately assessed the risks associated with people's care. Family members told us that the care provided was safe. Regular staff were provided and they attended the visits on time. People received their medicines as prescribed. The provider followed current best practice guidelines to safely recruit staff and effectively manage risks associated with infection prevention and control (IPC).
Staff felt supported in their role. There were close working relationships with the healthcare professionals who trained staff to meet people's complex support needs. Systems were in place to regularly gather people's and their family members' feedback to support the good care provision.
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 overall rating for this service was requires improvement (published 30/09/2022 ). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.
At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for A50 on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
A50 is a domiciliary care agency providing personal and nursing care people in their own homes. The service provides support to children and older people, some of which have a physical disability. At the time of our inspection there were five people using the service.
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 did not receive support from a safe service. People’s identified risks were not always recorded with clear guidance for staff to follow to mitigate the risks. People’s medicines were not always recorded in line with good practice. The registered manager failed to ensure robust pre-employment checks were undertaken prior to staff working at the service. The registered manager failed to ensure lessons were learned when things went wrong.
People did not receive support from a service that was always effective. Staff members were not supported to have one-to-one supervisions with the registered manager to reflect on their working practices. People's nutritional and hydration needs were not always recorded and guidance for staff on how to support them was not clearly documented. The registered manager failed to comprehensively record people’s assessed needs prior to them using the service.
People did not have their personalised needs and preferences recorded in their care plans. People's communication needs were not always documented.
There were no systems in place to ensure the governance and monitoring of the service were robustly carried out to drive improvements. People did not always receive a service that had an embedded culture that learned and improved the service delivery. The registered manager failed to ensure records were kept in line with legislation.
Staff had a clear understanding of identifying, reporting and escalating suspected abuse. People told us staff arrived on time for their visit and always stayed the duration of the call. People were protected against the risk of cross contamination as the registered manager had effective COVID-19 protocols in place.
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 support this practice.
People received care and support from staff that demonstrated compassion and empathy. People’s privacy and dignity were maintained and where possible people were encouraged to maintain their independence.
People’s relatives and staff spoke positively about the service, stating the registered manager was approachable and supportive. People’s views were sought to drive improvements. The registered manager worked in partnership with healthcare professionals to enhance people’s lives.
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 23 December 2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Enforcement and Recommendations
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.
We have identified breaches in relation to medicines and good governance at this inspection. We have made a recommendation in relation to preadmission assessments.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.