31 January 2017
During a routine inspection
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.