About the service Ablecross Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of inspection, the service was providing care to 13 people.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is 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
We received positive feedback about the service from all the people and representatives we spoke to. In particular, they told us they appreciated how person-centred the support was. A relative said, “During the pandemic [Person] shut down. Now they have opened up and become a happy soul. Ablecross have brightened up their day, its complete rounded care.”
There were regular and practical checks to monitor the quality and safety of the service. The registered manager was purchasing a new electronic system which would increase oversight and support the provider to grow the service in a sustained and safe manner. The registered manager took prompt action when concerns were raised and used the learning to improve the service. They were improving how they recorded and demonstrated the actions they had taken in response to concerns and quality checks.
The registered manager skilfully minimised risk across the service. Risk assessments were personalised, and care plans provided staff with clear guidance on how to support people safely. Safeguarding practices protected people from the risk of abuse. Staff supported people to take their medicines safely, and as prescribed.
The registered manager minimised the risk of infection from COVID-19. They had supported people and staff well throughout the pandemic.
There were enough safely recruited staff to support people safely. Staff were well organised in small clusters to ensure people received personalised care. Staff were well supported and told us they were proud to work for the service. Staff received detailed guidance and training to help them support people in a person-centred manner, in line with their preferences.
People received the necessary support to eat and drink. Staff worked well with external professionals to promote people’s wellbeing, referring for support when necessary. Professionals told us staff worked effectively with them to help people achieve positive outcomes.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
The provider promoted a caring culture which ensured people received highly personalised and flexible care. Staff supported people in a respectful manner, promoting their independence and choice. Staff communicated with people in a way they understood.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 03/07/2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection of a newly registered service.
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.