Background to this inspection
Updated
29 May 2021
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
One inspector carried out this inspection.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke in person with the registered manager. We contacted twelve people and their relatives, 16 staff and one health care professional, to get their experience and views about the care provided. We reviewed a range of records. This included ten people’s care records and medicine records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment, training and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We requested additional evidence to be sent to us after our inspection. This included responses to complaints made, and audits. We received the information which was used as part of our inspection.
Updated
29 May 2021
About the service
Allied Health-Services Sutton is a domiciliary care agency. It provides a personal care support service to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care for 66 people.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
At the last inspection people experienced poor staff consistency regarding visit times and missed calls. They and their relatives raised concerns and made complaints about some poor care experiences but did not feel listened to when raising issues. Audits did not always identify issues in relation to late visits and action taken was not always clear. At this inspection staff consistency was improved, missed calls reduced, complaints responded to and audits identified late visit issues and action taken, in up to date records.
The service provided was safe for people to use and staff to work in. People were enabled to live safely and enjoy their lives, by the support they received and risks to them being assessed and monitored. The provider reported, investigated and recorded accidents and incidents and safeguarding concerns. Medicines were safely administered, by trained staff. The provider met shielding and social distancing rules, used PPE effectively and safely and the infection prevention and control policy was up to date.
People’s needs were assessed, reviewed and they received person centred care. They were given choices, supported to follow their routines, interests and hobbies and social isolation was minimised, where possible. People were given enough information to make their own decisions and end of life wishes were identified, if appropriate.
The provider’s culture was open, honest and positive with transparent management and leadership. The organisation had a clearly defined vision and values that staff understood and followed. Areas of responsibility and accountability were identified, with staff willing to take responsibility and report any concerns they may have, in a timely fashion. The provider reviewed service quality and made changes to improve the care and support people received. This was in a way that best suited people. The provider played a role in the community through well-established working partnerships that promoted people’s participation and reduced social isolation. Registration requirements were met.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 10 March 2020).
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted in part due to concerns regarding inconsistent visit times and missed calls, response to concerns and complaints raised and audits not always identifying issues in relation to late visits and missed visits. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine the risks associated with these issues.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) has introduced focused/targeted inspections to follow up on previous breaches and to check specific concerns.
We undertook a focused inspection approach to review the key questions of Safe, Responsive and Well-led where we had specific concerns about inconsistent visit times and missed calls, responses to complaints and audit management.
As no concerns were identified in relation to the key questions is the service Effective and Caring we decided not to inspect them. Ratings from the previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk