We carried out a review of the data available to us about All Age Development Trust 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 All Age Development Trust, you can give feedback on this service.
All Age Development is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to six people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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
The registered provider had improved medication administration, particularly in recording and introducing protocols for administering specific medicines such as blood-thinners. People told us they always received their medicines when needed and these were never missed. The registered provider had also made improvements to the management of the service, notifying CQC of key events and having a system in place for gaining the views of people as well as supervising care practice.
People who used the service felt safe and again emphasised the care and attention the service had provided in keeping them safe through the COVID-19 pandemic. They felt positive relationships had been fostered between them and the staff team. They emphasised support calls were never missed, staff arrived on time and stayed for the required time. They saw the service as flexible in meeting their needs.
People who used the service were very positive about the support they received. They confirmed they were asked about the quality of the service regularly and had their views listened to. They stated the service was well- managed and reliable and were particularly complimentary of the registered provider and staff team for consistently meeting their individual needs. They stated they were involved in their support and this was person-centred. Staff saw the registered provider as knowledgeable, approachable and supportive; especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff worked alongside the registered provider during some support calls and had their care practice assessed.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update.
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 28 August 2019) and there were breaches of regulations relating to safe care and treatment, and good governance. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection. The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for All Age Development at www.cqc.org.uk.
All Age Development Trust is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 5 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection.
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
Quality monitoring systems were not robust or effective to ensure improvement actions were taken promptly. There were no records to confirm that any audits had been completed. Notifiable incidents and concerns were not always shared with CQC as required by law
Whilst people told us they received their medicines as necessary, records did not support this. This meant that we could not be assured that the management of medicines was safe. Risk assessments were not always in place to ensure that staff were aware of measures to safeguard people from risks.
Staff were always respectful in the language they used to describe people. People, their families and professionals described the staff as caring, kind and friendly. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People and relatives told us they were happy with the service, and that staff had an exceptional understanding of their needs and preferences. Staff understood how to recognise signs of abuse and the actions needed if abuse was suspected. There were enough staff to provide safe care and recruitment checks had ensured they were suitable to work in the care sector.
The service had an open and positive culture that encouraged involvement of people, their families, staff. The registered manager had a ‘hands on’ approach and promoted teamwork amongst the small staff group. People, professional's and relatives spoke highly about the management and staff had a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities.
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 16 December 2016).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the Safe and Well Led sections of this full report.
The overall rating for the service has changed from Good to Requires Improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
Enforcement
We have identified breaches in relation to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: safe care and treatment and governance.
For requirement actions of enforcement which we are able to publish at the time of the report being published:
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
The agency was last inspected on 06 January 2014 and met the required standard under the legislation at that time.
All Age Development Trust is a small domicillary care agency providing support for people in their own home. The agency focusses their support to people living in rural settings.
The agency had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.
The risk of abuse was minimised because there were clear policies and procedures in place to provide staff with information on how to protect people in the event of an allegation or suspicion of abuse.
Staff receive training to support them to deliver effective care.
Suitable recruitment processes and checks were in place to minimise the risk of unsuitable people being employed to work with vulnerable people.
People were supported by enthusiastic, caring staff.
Staff had good relationships with people who used the service and were attentive to their needs and took account of people’s wishes, likes and dislikes.
People were provided with information regarding the agency’s complaints procedure.
We looked at the management of medication and saw that the service had appropriate policies and procedures in place. Staff received training in medication and people who used the agency confirmed that staff supported them with administration of medication when necessary.
We visited two people who used the agency and their relatives and spoke to another relative on the phone. We also spoke with two staff members. People we spoke with confirmed they were satisfied with the service.
People who used the service said: 'The staff are very helpful', 'They are reliable', 'I have no problems, they are a dependable service' and 'I am very happy and lucky to have them.' All the people who used the agency and their relatives said that the carers turn up on time and stay for the allocated length of time.
Staff commented: 'The communication is good here, we get phone calls and texts to keep us up to date', 'The training is good', 'We are introduced to clients before we start to support them'. All the staff said they got good support from the management team and that they had no concerns about the welfare of the people they supported.
We looked at staff recruitment and saw that appropriate processes were in place and that people who used All Age Aid were protected by robust recruitment processes and practice.
We looked at the complaint process and procedure. We saw that no complaints had been made to the agency and people we spoke with stated they didn't have any complaints.
We spoke with four staff members and they confirmed that they liked working for All Age Aid. During discussions with staff they were able to describe the tasks they supported people with and how through their approach they showed respect and dignity to them. One person said that we assist the person to do as much as they can for themselves and we are here to help with the things they cannot do. All the staff commented that the staff team was good and that they supported each other. One staff member said that there was enough time for each call and she didn't feel rushed. Staff commented that the manager was very good and they said it was an advantage that the manager worked alongside them sometimes.