Apex Prime Care - Mid Surrey

Updated 20 July 2022

The inspection

We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service, their relatives and staff.

Inspection team

One inspector carried out the 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.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short notice period of the inspection because we needed to ask the registered manager to send us information and to obtain people’s consent to receive a telephone call from us.

Inspection activity started on 7 July 2022 and ended on 11 July 2022.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection, including notifications of significant events. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager via Microsoft Teams meetings about how the service was run.

We spoke with six people who used the service and four relatives to hear their feedback about the care the agency provided. We received feedback from three professionals who had worked with the service and from five staff about the training, support and information they received.

We reviewed information sent to us by the registered manager, including care plans and risk assessments for three people, medicines administration records, recruitment records for three staff, training records, accident and incident records, audits, meeting minutes, and the agency’s business continuity plan.

Updated 20 July 2022

About the service

Apex Prime Care – Mid Surrey provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes.

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.

The service was supporting 54 people at the time of our inspection, 18 of whom received personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People received their care from consistent staff and had established positive relationships with their care workers. Staff knew people’s preferences about their care and respected their choices. Staff supported people to be as independent as possible.

People felt safe when staff provided their care. People told us they received a reliable service from staff who knew how to provide their care in a safe way. Staff understood their responsibilities in protecting people from abuse and knew how to report any concerns they had. The provider’s recruitment procedures helped ensure only suitable staff were employed.

Risk assessments had been carried out to identify and minimise any risks involved in people’s care. People’s medicines were managed safely. Staff protected people from the risk of infection by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) when they carried out their visits.

Staff had an induction when they started work and had access to the training they needed to carry out their roles. Staff met regularly with their line managers to discuss their performance and any support or further training they needed.

People’s needs were assessed before they began to use the service. People told us their wishes and preferences about their care were listened to and reflected in their care plans. Care plans were reviewed regularly to ensure they continued to reflect people’s needs.

Staff monitored people’s health effectively and responded promptly if people became unwell. Professionals told us staff implemented any guidance they recommended to ensure people received the support they needed.

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.

People had opportunities to give feedback about their care and their views were listened to. People told us they would feel comfortable raising concerns if they needed to. There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Staff communicated with one another well and worked as a team to ensure people received the care they needed. Staff understood the agency’s values and demonstrated these in their work.

The management team supported staff well and encouraged staff to suggest potential improvements to the service. Relatives told us the registered manager and management team led by example in their attitudes and behaviours. Professionals said the agency worked cooperatively with them to ensure people received good quality care and support.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The registered provider of this service has changed since the last inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 21 August 2018. The service was registered under the current provider on 13 May 2021.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.