Archived: ABK Caring Service Ltd

Updated 7 April 2017

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.

The inspection took place on 31 January and 1 February 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available to give us access to paperwork and respond to our queries.

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

On the day of the inspection we visited the agency’s office and met with the registered manager who was based part time at the service. We also met the general manager who was responsible for the day-to-day running of the service, referred to in the report as ’the manager ‘and other office staff. We visited the home of three people who used the service and met with them and their families plus the staff supporting them on that day. We spoke on the phone to three people who used the service, three staff, two family members and one friend. We also contacted one professional to ask them their views regarding the support people received from the service.

We reviewed all the information we had available about the service including notifications sent to us by the manager. Notifications are information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We also looked at information sent to us from others, including family members and the local authority.

We looked at five people’s care records and four staff records. We examined information relating to the management of the service such as health and safety records, personnel and recruitment records, quality monitoring audits and complaints.

Updated 7 April 2017

The inspection took place on 31 January and 1 February 2017 and was announced.

ABK Caring Service Ltd is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care to people living in their own homes. They predominantly provide a service for older adults, some of whom may be living with dementia or may have a physical disability. The service does not provide nursing care. At the time of our inspection there were 53 people using the service.

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. The registered manager had appointed a general manager to assist them in the daily running of the service.

The general manager was enthusiastic and people who used the service and their families told us they ensured there was a good quality of care. They worked alongside staff and so were able to respond promptly to concerns. The general manager was focused on continually improving the service and was introducing a number of changes to ensure people’s safety and wellbeing was promoted.

Staff felt well supported in their role and had varied opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge. People were able to make choices about the support received. The service was meeting its responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act. People were supported to maintain a balanced diet and to maintain good health. Staff supported people to access health care professionals, where necessary.

People were supported to receive their medication safely. Risk was well managed and there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. The provider had a robust recruitment process which helped protect people from the risk of avoidable harm.

Staff took time to get to know people well and had developed good relationships with them. The care which was provided was personalised and in line with people’s preferences. People’s concerns were dealt with effectively and they felt able to speak to the general manager and other senior staff when they wanted to discuss any issues with the support they received.