We carried out a review of the data available to us about AH Care Ltd on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about AH Care Ltd, you can give feedback on this service.
People’s experience of using this service:
People using the service were consistent in their view that staff were exceptionally caring and responsive to their needs. We received comments such as “10 out of 10” and “Brilliant”.
The service worked in partnership with people, their relatives and other stakeholders to ensure people’s needs were consistently met to a high standard. Health and social care professionals were equally impressed about the service provided to people. They told us they had an excellent working relationship with the service and felt that AH Care Ltd was committed to supporting people to achieve the best outcomes possible.
The ethos and culture of the service centred on people. People were at the heart of the service and their involvement and feedback was valued by the provider. Staff were exceptionally caring and went out of their way to ensure people lived a fulfilled life. Their patience and dedication assisted people to reach their potential. Staff consistently provided a service which had been tailored to meet the needs of individuals. Staff provided many examples of how they had gone the extra mile to respond to people’s needs such as researching people’s background which helped to stimulate memories and conversations.
Care plans were individual and reflected the needs and risks of people using the service. They provided staff with the information they needed to support people. Control measures were in place to help mitigate risks of harm to people. They were encouraged to take positive risk to promote their independence and make choices about their care. People were supported to receive their medicines as prescribed.
The service was exceptionally well led. The managers had researched and used innovative ideas to support people, such as using technology to ensure people received the best possible care. The registered manager was involved in several initiatives to improve the health and social care standards and training in partnership with organisations. They shared their experiences and knowledge and provided a service to the wider community. Quality checks of the service and feedback from people were used to recognise and drive improvements.
People received care from staff and supported to carry out their roles. Staff told us they felt supported by their colleagues and managers. They had been well trained and had access to in-house training and champions for additional support.
Rating at last inspection: Outstanding (Last report was published in September 2016). At this inspection we found evidence that sustained the rating of outstanding.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Why we inspected:
We inspected this service as part of our ongoing Adult Social Care inspection programme. This was a planned inspection based on the previous Outstanding rating. Previous CQC ratings and the time since the last inspection were also taken into consideration.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.
AH Care also known as Home Instead Care provides a personal care service for people who require support in their own home At the time of our inspection around 60 people were using the service.
There was a registered manager in post. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.’
Care staff spoke highly about the service provided. One said, “I love working here”. Another person said, “I am very proud to be working here”. People told us they would recommend the service to others. There was a genuine sense of fondness and respect between the staff and people. People we spoke with told us staff were caring. Relatives we spoke with informed us the staff showed a high level of compassion towards the people they supported. They used words such as “Compassionate”, “Caring”, “Excellent” and “Highly motivated” to describe the staff. All of the people we spoke with told us they felt staff went over and above what was expected of them and they couldn’t ask for more from the staff. Staff were positive about the people they supported. One member of staff stated, “I love helping the people I work for”. Another person said “It means so much to make somebody smile and their compliments mean so much to me”.
The feedback from people, their relatives and staff was a vital part of the quality assurance system. This was achieved either through annual surveys, meetings with people, complaints or reviews. They were listened to and action was taken to make improvements to their quality of life. The registered manager monitored and audited the quality of care provided striving to meet the ever changing needs of people living in the home. Staff, people and their relatives spoke highly about the registered manager. It was evident there was high level of leadership from the registered manager and this resulted in excellent staff morale. The registered manager participated in various forums and community events to ensure best practice was sustained.
Risk assessments were implemented and reflected the current level of risk to people. There were sufficient staffing levels to ensure safe care and treatment. People were 'very happy' with the service they received. We received positive comments about their views and experiences. People told us they felt safe because the staff were "Caring and enjoyed what they did". The registered manager demonstrated their responsibilities in recognising changing circumstances within the service to help ensure that staffing levels and skill mix was effective.
People were receiving effective care and support. Staff received appropriate training which was relevant to their role meaning staff had the knowledge and skills they needed to carry out their roles effectively. Staff informed us training was excellent and met their learning needs. Staff received regular supervisions and appraisals. The service was adhering to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The registered manager had met with people to ensure their needs and preferences were recorded and they were matched with staff with similar interests. Each person had a core group of staff to ensure continuity of care.
Care plans were person centred and provided a high level of detail to provide safe, high quality care to people. Care plans were reviewed and people were involved in the planning of their care. There was a robust complaints procedure in place and where complaints had been made, there was evidence these had been dealt with appropriately.
We visited people in their homes, talked with four relatives and looked at feedback people had given to the service. We talked with four members of staff about the care and support provided.
Relatives told us that they were advised about how they could legally make decisions on behalf of the person using the service where they were unable to consent about their care and support. Systems for the recording of people's consent were under review.
We found that people's care records stated their preferences about their care and support. Routines important to them, their likes and dislikes were noted. A relative said, "the assessment was comprehensive, they matched staff with my mum's needs and personality".
People were protected from the risks of exposure to health associated infection. Systems were in place to assess, prevent and control the risks of infections.
There were sufficient numbers of staff with the right skills and knowledge to ensure the health and safety of people using the service. Relatives told us,"they are all trained in the same methods so they slot together when working with a new carer".
People were asked for their feedback about the service provided. Robust quality assurance systems were in place. One relative said, "care workers are proud of their job".
In respect of their care and support people had told the service, 'extremely happy with the support', 'genuine care for mother's welfare' and 'pleased with your care'. One person stated, 'I am kept informed when care givers are arriving'.
Comments made about the staff team included, "wonderful team of carers" and "excellent service from staff".
Feedback to the service from people included, "the quality of care that you and your team have shown to my mother has always been excellent" and "very happy with the quality of service".