The Care Quality Commission
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  • Homecare service

Archived: Abicare Services Newbury

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Unit 4, Freemans Yard, Bone Lane, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 5SH (01635) 30784

Provided and run by:
Abicare Services Limited

All Inspections

21 July 2015

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on 21 July 2015 and was announced. We gave the area manager 48 hours' notice as we needed to make sure someone would be in the office.

Abicare Services Newbury provides a service to people living in their own homes in Berkshire. At the time of this inspection they were providing a service to 31 people.

The service is required to have a registered manager. The registered manager has not managed the service since March 2015. The community team manager has been managing in her place, with the support of the area manager. The company is currently recruiting a new manager. The area manager has started the process to become registered with us in the interim. 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.’

People were protected from risks to their health and wellbeing and were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff received training to enable them to do their jobs safely and to a good standard.

People were treated with respect and their privacy and dignity was promoted. Staff were caring and responsive to the needs of the people they supported. Staff sought people's consent before working with them and encouraged and supported their independence.

People's health and well-being was assessed and measures put in place to ensure people's needs were met in an individualised way. Medicines were managed well and staff administering medicines were only allowed to do so after passing their training and being assessed as competent. Where included in their care package, people were supported to eat and drink enough.

People benefitted from receiving a service from staff who worked well together and felt management worked with them as a team.

People were not always provided with a service that was consistently delivered within the time slots agreed.

We have made a recommendation about the service exploring the reasons for late calls.

16 April 2013

During an inspection in response to concerns

We looked at a range of records, spoke with the manager, some senior personnel and three members of staff. The manager and staff were aware of their responsibilities regarding protecting people from abuse. People we spoke with told us that they had confidence in the care workers and the care they provided. They also said that they felt safe using the service. We spoke with five people who used the service and they told us they were happy with the service they received. One person said 'the staff are all very pleasant and treat me with respect'. Another told us that they 'have no complaints. Staff are very caring and cannot do enough for me'. Another said 'The staff are extremely nice. They cannot do enough for me'.

The people we spoke with told us that care staff were mostly on time and always stayed for the right amount of time. One person told us that if staff were going to be late then they would telephone and let them know when to expect them. Staff told us that they followed care plans which they felt contained adequate information.

People we spoke with knew how to raise a complaint. They said that they would either speak to one of the regular carers or would telephone the office to speak to someone there. Staff told us that they felt supported and the manager had processes in place to ensure that people were assisted and cared for by trained and experienced staff.