Archived: Age Concern Malling

The service covers Malling, Hadlow, Borough Green, Wateringbury and Larkfield. There were 180 people using the service at the time of our inspection visit. Some of the people using the service received help with housework and meal preparation by care staff calling to their homes. Other people received assistance with bathing. This service was delivered either in people’s own homes or by calling to Rotary House that has a bathroom which is suitable for use by people who have physical adaptive needs. Rotary House is a resource centre located in West Malling where the service also has its office location. Other people received a foot care service that was delivered in their homes, in clinics hosted in doctors' surgeries and also in Rotary House.

The service was run by a charitable body who was the registered provider. 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. 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. In this report when we speak about both the charitable body and the registered manager we refer to them as being, ‘the registered persons’.

At the last comprehensive inspection on 12 February 2016 the overall rating of the service was, ‘Good’.

At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found that the service remained, ‘Good’.

People were safeguarded from situations in which they may experience abuse including financial mistreatment. Risks to people’s safety had been assessed, monitored and managed so they were supported to stay safe while their freedom was respected. Medicines were managed safely. There were enough staff on duty and background checks had been completed before new care staff had been appointed. Suitable arrangements were in place to prevent and control infection and lessons had been learned when things had gone wrong.

Care was delivered in a way that promoted positive outcomes for people and care staff had the knowledge and skills they needed to provide support in line with legislation and guidance. This included respecting people’s citizenship rights under the Equality Act 2010. People received the individual assistance they needed to prepare their meals and they were helped to have a balanced diet to promote their good health. Suitable steps had been taken to ensure that people received coordinated and person-centred care when they used or moved between different services. People had been supported to live healthier lives by having suitable access to healthcare services so that they received on-going healthcare support. People were supported to maintain and decorate their accommodation so that it met their needs and expectations.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. The registered persons had also taken the necessary steps to ensure that people only received lawful care that was the least restrictive possible. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were treated with kindness, respect and compassion and they had been given emotional support when needed. They had also been supported to express their views and be actively involved in making decisions about their care as far as possible. This included them having access to lay advocates if necessary. Confidential information was kept private.

People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs and which promoted their independence. This included them having access to information that was presented to them in an accessible way. People were supported to lead the everyday lives they had chosen for themselves including pursuing their hobbies and interests. The registered manager and care staff recognised the importance of promoting equality and diversity. This included appropriately supporting people if they chose gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex life-course identities. There were arrangements to ensure that people’s complaints were listened and responded to in order to improve the quality of care. Suitable provision had been made to support people at the end of their life to have a comfortable, dignified and pain-free death.

The registered persons had promoted a person-centred culture in the service and had made the arrangements necessary to ensure that regulatory requirements were met. People who used the service, their relatives and care staff were actively engaged in developing the service. There were systems and procedures to enable the service to learn, improve and assure its sustainability. The registered persons were actively working in partnership with other agencies to support the development of joined-up care.

Age Concern Malling is registered as a domiciliary care agency. At the time of the inspection only a foot care service was being provided. The foot care provided by the agency was toe nail cutting for people in the Tonbridge and Malling area. The agency office was situated in West Malling. This was a small service and at the time of inspection fifty two people were receiving support to meet their foot care needs.

Age Concern Malling offers a foot care clinic at a day centre five days per week. They have a dedicated room for people to receive assistance. Staff visit people in their own homes to provide the same service if they prefer.

The service 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.

People who used the foot care service trusted the staff and felt safe in their hands. Staff knew their responsibilities in safeguarding vulnerable people from abuse. They made sure people knew they could talk to them if they had concerns.

The provider had made sure that any risks to people associated with carrying out the service had been identified and managed. Potential risks to staff when visiting people’s homes had also been assessed and control measures put in place.

The provider followed safe recruitment procedures to ensure the staff they employed were suitable people to carry out their role. Enough staff were available to be able to run an effective service, responsive to people’s needs. Staff had the training and supervision required to be able to perform well in their role. Their personal development needs were identified and supported within an annual appraisal system.

People made their own choices about how and when they accessed the service and this could be as frequent or infrequent as they wished. Staff supported people by making sure they had information leaflets available.

People and their relatives were very complimentary about the staff saying they were friendly and caring. If people needed more than their allotted appointment time as they wanted to chat, this was given without question. People’s privacy was respected by staff who understood the importance of maintaining people’s dignity. Staff understood their responsibilities in upholding confidentiality. Records were stored in lockable cabinets in a secure setting, only available to those who needed to access them.

People’s needs and wishes were assessed and planned in relation to the foot care service they had requested. A review of their experience and any change in circumstances were sought by staff at the beginning of each appointment.

The management team were visible and available on a daily basis. Staff were positive about the support they received from the registered manager. They felt they could raise concerns and they would be listened to.

Sound auditing systems and processes were in place to check the quality and safety of the service provided. This included the provider asking people for their views of the service on a regular basis.