Archived: A.I.M.S Support Services Ltd/A.I.M.S Enabling Service Agency

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.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, discussions with people using the service, their relatives and the staff supporting them and looking at records. If you wish to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

People told us they felt safe in the service. We found sufficient staff were available to deliver people's care and support needs and they received the training required to provide safe, appropriate care and support. Appropriate checks were carried out before staff started working with people to ensure they had the appropriate knowledge, skills and experience to meet people's care and support needs.

People were protected from the potential for abuse and neglect as the provider had taken reasonable steps to ensure staff recognised the signs of abuse. Staff we spoke demonstrated their knowledge in recognising signs and symptoms of abuse and how to report concerns. The registered manager demonstrated how concerns were investigated with necessary actions identified, taken and followed up.

The provider had an effective system in place to analyse any incidents that occurred when providing care and support for people in their homes. We found no incidents had recently occurred. Records were accurately maintained, which meant the risk of people receiving unsafe care was minimised.

Is the service caring?

People told us they were treated with respect and dignity by the staff. We found people were supported appropriately and sensitively by kind and considerate staff. We spoke with staff who told us about how they provided care and support. People we spoke with were positive about the caring nature of staff members supporting them. One person told us, 'I'm very happy with the two carers I've had so far. They are like friends to me.' A relative told us, 'The carer is really good with (my relative). The care is marvellous.'

Is the service effective?

People's health and care needs were assessed with them. We saw evidence to show people and their relatives or advocates had been involved in writing and agreeing their care plans. Specialist dietary and healthcare needs had been identified in care plans where required. People we spoke with and their relatives told us they received the support needed. People's care was subject to review so staff could ensure their needs were being met effectively.

Is the service responsive?

Staff we spoke with demonstrated they would report any concerns to the registered manager and were confident these would be addressed. This was confirmed by a relative we spoke with who told us, 'The carer always reports any little changes to the office. The manager will then contact me to let me know so we can deal with it.'

We saw there was an effective complaints procedure in place. One person told us, 'The service is good. I've never had to complain but I know I can phone them anytime and they always listen to me and sort things out.'

Is the service well led?

People we spoke with, staff and relatives were positive about the management of the service. Staff told us they felt supported by the registered manager and other office staff.

We found monitoring and reviews of the service were carried out regularly and highlighted actions were completed in a timely manner.

We saw that the management were aware of the care needs of people and of their preferences and daily routines. 'The carers are aware of my uncle's needs because the agency always sends the same carers', a relative of an individual receiving care had told us.

People receiving care indicated that they were well treated and felt safe with the care staff. They commended care staff's competency, commenting that 'they are doing a very good job'.

We observed people who used the service were asked for their views about their care which were acted on.