Archived: Allied Healthcare - Burnley

We asked the provider to send us an action plan to advise how they would address the concern.

On 2 May 2014 we revisited the service to check if they had taken appropriate action to improve the records. We did not talk to any clients but we looked at information from a recent customer satisfaction survey and looked at two care plans. We found there were sufficient instructions for staff about the care and support people needed. We also found that people had been involved in decisions about their care. This should help ensure people's best interests were protected.

People told us they were happy with the support they received. Comments included, "It's a good service; I am really happy with the care" and "I am satisfied with the standard of service". Carers were described as 'thoughtful', 'respectful' and 'caring'. Care staff told us they 'enjoyed' working for the service.

We found people were involved in an initial assessment of their needs and the care and support they needed was based on this. However, we found there were not always sufficient instructions about how people's care and support should be provided. This meant staff may not know how to look after people properly. We asked the provider to make improvements in this area.

People said they were told which staff should be arriving and considered staff were good with time keeping. However, people also told us they were not notified of any changes to their expected carer. Comments included, "I have a rota but they don't inform me of any changes and this happens quite often" and "I know most of the carers but I don't always get my usual carers". The manager said she would address this.

The office was safe, accessible and suitably equipped. Action had been taken to respond to any identified risks in people's homes which should improve safety.

People told us staff were reliable and punctual, they were provided with the same staff and they knew which staff member was arriving to provide their care. Everyone we spoke with made positive comments about the staff team. Comments included, "They are all very, very good", "All the staff are superb; they put themselves out to be helpful" and "They are all competent and trained to do the job". We spoke with two staff members. They told us they were given the training, support and supervision they needed.