Background to this inspection
Updated
18 January 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 checked 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 was undertaken on 15 and 17 November 2016. We gave the provider two days’ notice that we would be visiting their head office. We spoke with 14 people who used the service and three relatives over the phone.
The inspection and interviews were carried out by one inspector and two experts-by-experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Before the inspection we reviewed information we had about the provider, including notifications of any safeguarding or other incidents affecting the safety and wellbeing of people.
We spoke with four staff who supported people with personal care and three managers including the training and recruitment manager and the registered manager.
We looked at five people’s care plans and other documents relating to their care including risk assessments and daily notes. We looked at other records held by the agency including staff and management meeting minutes as well as health and safety documents, quality audits and surveys.
Updated
18 January 2017
This inspection took place on 15 and 17 November 2016. At our last inspection in August 2014 we found that the service was meeting all the standards we looked at.
AIMS Enabling Service Agency provides support and personal care to people living at home. There were approximately 50 people using the service at the time of our inspection. The registered manager told us that approximately half of those people were currently receiving personal care. The majority of those receiving personal care where older people. The provision of personal care is regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People told us they were well treated by the staff and felt safe and trusted them.
Staff could explain how they would recognise and report abuse and they understood their responsibilities in keeping people safe.
Where any risks to people’s safety had been identified, the management had thought about and discussed with the person ways to mitigate risks.
People told us that staff came at the time they were supposed to or staff would phone them to say they were running late.
The service was following appropriate recruitment procedures to make sure that only suitable staff were employed at the agency.
Staff we spoke with had a good knowledge of the medicines that people they visited were taking. People told us they were satisfied with the way their medicines were managed.
People who used the service and their relatives were positive about the staff and told us they had confidence in their abilities.
Staff told us that they were provided with training in the areas they needed in order to support people effectively. However, there was no system to monitor and record the training that each staff member had undertaken. There was also no information available to highlight which training was mandatory for all staff to undertake. This meant it was difficult to check if staff had completed all the training they needed to.
Staff understood that it was not right to make choices for people when they could make choices for themselves.
People told us they were happy with the support they received with eating and drinking and staff were aware of people’s dietary requirements and preferences.
People confirmed that they were involved as much as they wanted to be in the planning of their care and support. Care plans included the views of people using the service and their relatives. Relatives told us they were kept up to date about any changes by staff at the office.
People and their relatives told us that the management and staff were quick to respond to any changes in their needs and care plans reflected how people were supported to receive care and treatment in accordance with their current needs and preferences.
People told us they had no complaints about the service but said they felt able to raise any concerns without worry.
The agency had a number of quality monitoring systems including yearly surveys for people using the service and their relatives. People we spoke with confirmed that they were asked about the quality of the service and had made comments about this. They felt the service took their views into account in order to improve service delivery.