Background to this inspection
Updated
10 December 2019
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection-
During our inspection we spoke with four relatives. We spoke with the Registered Manager, five care staff and the administrator. We reviewed four peoples care files including discussions with people and staff to check their accuracy. We checked two staff files, health and safety records, medication records, management audits, staff meeting records and the results of quality assurance surveys.
Updated
10 December 2019
About the service
Alesco is a domiciliary care agency that was providing personal care to 13 older adults living in their own homes 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
People received safe care and were protected from discrimination. Staff understood the actions they needed to take if they suspected abuse or poor practice. Staff were recruited safely, including employment and criminal record checks. Staffing levels were flexible and responsive to people’s changing needs. Staff understood the risks people lived with and the actions needed to prevent avoidable harm whilst respecting people’s choices and freedoms. Medicines were administered safely. The registered manager told us they were introducing annual staff medicine administration competency checks. Accidents, incidents and complaints were an opportunity for reflective learning and service improvements.
People received care from staff that had completed an induction and had on-going training and support that enabled them to carry out their roles effectively. People had an initial assessment that captured their care needs and lifestyle preferences. This information had been used to create person centred care plans that were regularly reviewed with people and their families. People had their eating and drinking needs met as care staff were knowledgeable about their likes, dislikes, allergies and any special dietary needs related to health conditions.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People received care from staff that were reliable and described as consistently kind and caring. People and their families were involved in decisions about their day to day care. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s history, social networks and family and friends important to them. People had their privacy and dignity respected by staff who promoted and understood the importance of enabling people’s independence.
Care was responsive to people’s changing needs and preferences. Positive working relationships with other health and social care professionals enabled good outcomes for people. People had an opportunity to be involved in discussions about their last wishes which reflected any spiritual or cultural choices.
People, their families and the staff team were positive about the management of the service, describing the culture as open, supportive and caring. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities and felt involved in the development of the service. Quality assurance processes were robust, multi layered and captured the voice of people, their families and the staff. The registered manager met their legal responsibilities for reporting events to statutory bodies such as CQC and the local authority.
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 25 May 2017).
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection based on previous rating.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.