• Services in your home
  • Homecare service

Archived: Allied Healthcare Norwich

Suite 6b, Cringleford Business Centre, Intwood Road, Cringleford, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 6AU (01603) 675910

Provided and run by:
Allied Healthcare Group Limited

All Inspections

13 August 2013

During a routine inspection

People told us they were satisfied with the service they received from this domiciliary care agency. One person said, 'The staff are brilliant.' Another person told us, 'I have the same group of staff, they are top class.' We were told that people usually received a telephone call if staff were going to be late, but the majority of those we spoke with said that staff were on time and stayed for the agreed period.

People described how staff supported them with their care needs and told us they were treated with respect. One person said, "The staff are...very respectful..." People said they were able to express their choices and these were included in their care plan. People's needs were kept under regular review, with assessments being completed with people each month.

Staff were well trained about safeguarding people from abuse and processes were in place to report any concerns. Robust recruitment processes helped to further safeguard people. Staff were trained to provide the care that people needed to the appropriate standard.

Monitoring processes were in place to ensure people received the care they expected. A complaints procedure was available to people in the event they were dissatisfied with the service and people's views were obtained through quality assurance questionnaires, with action plans being developed where necessary.

During a check to make sure that the improvements required had been made

People were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had appropriate arrangements in place in relation to the recording of medicine.

The evidence for compliance with this standard that we received from the provider included staff meeting minutes, staff supervision records, a sample of people's medicine administration (MAR) charts and MAR chart audit reports. From this information we could see that since our December 2012 inspection they had reviewed their arrangements for checking the way that staff recorded that they had given people their medicines. We could also see that staff had been reminded of their responsibilities for ensuring that such records were completed accurately. Effective audit arrangements were in place to check the quality and accuracy of medicines records to ensure that people had received their medicines.

14 December 2012

During a routine inspection

Although were were not able to speak to people using the service due to the nature of service being provided, we did speak to staff. Staff told us that training was provided for all staff on a regular basis and was relevant to their work and people who use the service. During our visit staff were attending training which was bing provided by the provider. Staff told us that training was always well attended and that they felt supported in delivery of patient care and also in enhancing their knowledge and skills.

People we spoke to told us that they felt involved in the delivery of patient care and were supported. People informed us that they had been involved in ensuring a robust role profile for new staff had been devised which helped with valuing staff.

6 March 2012

During a routine inspection

We were told that people were happy with the service provided by the Norwich branch of Allied Healthcare. Many positive comments were expressed by the families of people who had died, but were cared for by the service offering 'End of Life' care. Some of the comments included:

'Without you our relative would not have been able to stay at home until the end. It has been a great comfort to me to have them here, knowing that they were looked after in comfortable surroundings and that they were as happy as possible with the service.'

'The fact that they survived their illness for as long as they did was in no small measure to the standard of care and carrying attitude of their carers.'

'As a family we all feel we cannot begin to explain how much of a difference you all made, especially during our relative's last weekend and will always remember you.'

The comments from the managers of care establishments where the Allied Healthcare Norwich staff worked were similar and praised the staff for their excellent work with people living in care homes. 'My staff team and our tenants wish to thank all your staff that worked here for everything they have done.'