Archived: ABL Care

Updated 29 April 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 23 and 24 February 2016 and was unannounced.

The inspection was undertaken by one inspector. Before the inspection, we reviewed the information we held about the service. We received nine completed questionnaires from people who used the service, three from relatives or friends and three from staff. During the inspection we spoke with one person using the service and a relative of another person, four staff, the care coordinator and the registered manager. We looked at a range of records including three care plans, three staff recruitment files and quality assurance audits.

This was the first inspection of ABL Care.

Updated 29 April 2016

The inspection took place on 23 and 24 February 2016 and was unannounced. This is the first inspection since the service was registered.

The agency provides personal care and support to approximately 27 people in their own homes. People who used the service were over 18 and living with dementia or physical disabilities.

There was a registered manager at the service. 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’s needs were met by sufficient numbers of staff who were seen as reliable and competent. Staff were allocated to work in a particular area and most people lived within five minutes of each other. Staff felt involved in the planning of staffing levels. The registered manager or the care coordinator visited people to complete an assessment of people’s needs so they could ensure the staff had the skills to meet their needs.

There were safe medication administration systems in place and people received their medicines when required. Staff received training, both face to face and on the computer, about how to support people with medicines. The risks to people’s personal safety was risk assessed and plans were put in place to minimise the impact of these risks, such as the use of mobility aids.

Staff had completed training with regard to safeguarding adults and children and gave us examples of the different types of abuse and what they would do if they suspected or witnessed abuse. The registered manager knew how to use safeguarding procedures and had reported concerns appropriately.

The provider had safe recruitment procedures in place, which included seeking references and completing checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before employing new staff.

Staff were supported in their work through an induction programme, a range of training, supervision, spot checks and annual appraisal.

Some people needed support with eating and drinking. Staff knew people well and responded in a variety of ways if they were not eating and drinking enough, such as sitting down and drinking a cup of tea with them. Staff also monitored people’s health and healthcare professionals were contacted as necessary.

People were supported by caring staff and were involved in making decisions about their care and support. Staff were mindful of people’s privacy and dignity when supporting them with personal care.

People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs and told us about their individual experiences of how staff supported them in ways which met their needs. People and their relatives felt able to complain if they were unhappy about an aspect of the care provided.

The registered manager promoted a positive culture that was open, inclusive and empowering. Staff felt supported by the registered manager and felt able to raise any concerns. Quality assurance systems were in place to monitor the quality of service being delivered and the running of the service.