Background to this inspection
Updated
3 November 2020
The inspection
As part of a pilot into virtual inspections of domiciliary and extra-care housing services, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) conducted an inspection of this provider on 12 October 2020. The inspection was carried out with the consent of the provider and was part of a pilot to gather information to inform CQC whether it might be possible to conduct inspections in a different way in the future. We completed this inspection using virtual methods and online tools such as electronic file sharing, video calls and phone calls to gather the information we rely on to form a judgement on the care and support provided. At no time did we visit the provider’s or location’s office, as we usually would, when conducting an inspection.
Inspection team
The inspection was conducted by an inspector, an assistant inspector, a member of the CQC medicines inspection team, an Expert by Experience and CQC support services. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
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
The provider had already consented to be part of this pilot project. We gave 48 hours' notice of the inspection so the provider could share the documents we needed to view.
What we did before the inspection
We looked at all the information we held about the service which included notifications of significant events and other contact with the provider and stakeholders.
We spoke with the quality assurance representatives at the London Borough of Hounslow to if they had any feedback about the service.
During the inspection
We spoke with 15 people who used the service and relatives of 6 other people who used the service by telephone. We spoke with the registered manager, nominated individual and other senior staff who worked at the agency. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We asked care workers to complete written feedback for us about their experiences, although we did not receive any responses. We were not able to speak with any care workers by telephone.
We looked at the care records, including information about medicines, for 12 people who used the service, the staff recruitment, training and support records for 10 members of staff and other records used by the provider for managing the service. These included records of complaints, safeguarding alerts, incidents and accidents, compliments, quality monitoring, audits and meeting minutes.
Some of the inspection was conducted using video conferencing and telephone calls. We also viewed records the provider had shared with us remotely.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at additional information around how medicines were managed.
Updated
3 November 2020
This report was created as part of a pilot which looked at new and innovative ways of fulfilling CQC’s regulatory obligations and responding to risk in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was conducted with the consent of the provider. Unless the report says otherwise, we obtained the information in it without visiting the Provider.
About the service
Avant Healthcare Services ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes within the London Borough of Hounslow. The service can care for older and younger adults, children under the age of 18 years, people with disabilities and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection 63 people were using the service.
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 using the service and their relatives were happy with the care they received. They told us they had good relationships with individual care workers. They were involved in making decisions about, planning and reviewing their care and they told us the agency met their needs.
People were safely cared for. There were appropriate systems to manage medicines in a safe way. The risks to people's safety and wellbeing had been assessed, planned for and were monitored.
There were enough suitable staff employed to care for people. The care workers arrived on time and people were usually supported by the same familiar care workers. There were effective systems to monitor whether calls took place on time and as planned.
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's care needs were assessed and planned for. Care plans were clear and appropriately detailed. They included information about people's preferences and interests. The agency regularly reviewed these, with people using the service, to help make sure they were relevant and continued to reflect people's needs.
There were effective systems for managing the service and monitoring quality. These included regular reviews of people's care, meetings with staff and engaging with people using the service and other stakeholders to hear their views.
The provider responded to complaints, accidents, incidents and safeguarding alerts in an appropriate way, learning from these and making sure people were protected from harm.
The provider promoted positive social values, working closely with others and within the local community.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The rating at the last inspection 17 April 2018 (Published 18 May 2018) was good.
Why we inspected
This was a planned pilot virtual inspection. The report was created as part of a pilot which looked at new and innovative ways of fulfilling CQC’s regulatory obligations and responding to risk in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was conducted with the consent of the provider. Unless the report says otherwise, we obtained the information in it without visiting the Provider.
The pilot inspection considered the key questions of safe and well-led and provide a rating for those key questions. Only parts of the effective, caring and responsive key questions were considered, and therefore the ratings for these key questions are those awarded at the last inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Avant Healthcare Services ltd on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.