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Archived: Allied Healthcare - Gravesend

3rd Floor Apex House, London Road, Northfleet, Gravesend, Kent, DA11 9PD (01474) 537455

Provided and run by:
Allied Healthcare Group Limited

All Inspections

14 April 2014

During a routine inspection

Allied Healthcare Gravesend provides care and support to people in their own home. It provides nursing and personal care to mainly older people and some younger adults. It can also provide a “live in” service.

When we visited there was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and shares the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law with the provider. The registered manager provided good leadership and support to staff. The service had systems in place to monitor the standards of care and support that people received. This ensured that people received care and support that met their needs.

The service had systems in place to keep people safe. Risks associated with people’s care and support had been identified during assessments, the level of guidance to keep people safe varied, but there was adequate, to ensure risks were managed safely and consistently.

People had been involved in developing their care plan and had signed to show their agreement with its content. Care plans showed the tasks staff were required to undertake, but the level of detail about people’s choice, preferences and independence skills in relation to their personal care routine varied, to ensure people received a consistent approach to their care and support.

People were treated with kindness and respect. People told us their preferred name was always used by staff and this was recorded in their care plan.

People we spoke with told us they were able to make their own day to day decisions about their care and support. Staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Living Safeguards, but in discussions staff were not aware of what process would be put in place to support a person to make decisions in their best interests. The service had policies in place so that where people were unable to make more complex decisions and this was reported, it would be managed in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

9 October 2013

During a routine inspection

We looked at ten care plans and found that these contained information staff would need to know to be able to support a person’s needs.

We found that people’s needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. People told us “My care worker is excellent”, and “My care worker is extremely caring, compassionate and efficient”.

We sent out more than sixty questionnaires, generally people were positive about the care and support they received, all of the people who responded to our questionnaires told us that they had never experienced any form of discrimination by staff delivering care and support.

We saw that care plans were person centred and detailed support needs. We spoke to members of staff who confirmed that there was a care plan for each person they visited. These staff also confirmed that a brief overview of the support required was given on each person’s rota.

We found that there were effective recruitment and selection processes in place. The provider kept satisfactory documentation for all staff to evidence relevant qualifications and a full employment history with satisfactory written explanation of any gaps in employment.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard.

We found that the provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people receive.

30 January 2013

During a routine inspection

People told us they were happy with the care they received from the service.

People told us the carers ''mostly came on time.'' People said they were involved in their care planning and the carers were polite and courteous.

We found people's views were taken into account and each person's care records were reviewed monthly. We found people's family and or their representatives were involved in their care.

Care records showed that people's needs were assessed and care and treatment planned and delivered to meet these needs. We found care records were detailed and found risk assessment linked to care plans.

The staff we spoke to were knowledgeable about abuse and knew how to raise a safeguarding concern if there was need to. We found staff exercised care on entering and leaving people's homes to ensure uninvited people did not have access to people's homes and this helped to maintain the safety of people in their homes.

Staff told us they felt supported in their roles. We found the training staff received was relevant to their roles and supported them to provide treatment that was safe and appropriate for people.

The provider told us they regularly sought feedback from people, their representatives and other professional using the service. This feedback was used to monitor the quality of the service provided.

26 October 2011

During a routine inspection

People told us that they were satisfied with the quality of service that they received. They said that they would recommend the service to other people.

People told us that care staff stayed for the correct length of time and carried out all the tasks that were recorded in their plan of care. One person told us, "Everything I need, they do'they do all I expect and even more so ".

People told us that care staff understood their individual needs or those of their relative. Comments included, "They understand x and know what to do". "Staff always make sure that I am settled".

People told us that their privacy and dignity were respected at all times. One person told us, "All the girls are considerate" and another person said, "They (care staff) are patient and calm".

People and relatives told us that they were involved in decisions about their care and support.

People told us that they were regularly asked about their experience and satisfaction of using Allied Healthcare Gravesend. They said that they were visited by a representative of the agency twice a year and that this person asked them for their views of the service. People told us that their views were also obtained through completing questionnaires.

People told us that they knew how to make a complaint about any aspect of their care, but that they had not needed to do so.

People told us that they were regularly asked about their experience and satisfaction of using the service. They said that their views were asked when someone from the agency visiting them twice a year and by completing questionnaires.

People told us that they knew how to make a complaint about any aspect of their care, but that they had not needed to do so.