Archived: Allied Healthcare Wembley

Updated 13 July 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

We visited Allied Healthcare Wembley on 30 May 2017 and returned to review further information on 31 May 2017. The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert by experience who conducted telephone interviews with people who used the service. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

We used a range of methods to help us to understand the experiences of people who used the service. We reviewed records held by the service that included the care records for 10 people receiving care and support and 11 staff records, along with records relating to the management of the service.We spoke with the registered manager, a care delivery director, two care coordinators, a field care supervisor and four care staff members. We were also able to speak with 11 people who used the service and two family members.

Before our inspection we looked at the information that we held about the service. This included previous inspection reports, notifications, enquiries and other information that that we had received from the service. We also spoke with a representative from a commissioning local authority.

Updated 13 July 2017

Our inspection of Allied Healthcare Wembley took place on 30 and 31 May 2017 and was announced. 48 hours’ notice of the inspection was given because we wanted to be sure that a manager was available when we visited.

At our previous inspection of Allied Healthcare Wembley in February 2016 we found that the service was not meeting the requirements of the law in relation to the assessment and management of risk for people who used the service and the supervision of staff members. During this inspection we found that improvements had been made in order to meet the requirements identified at the previous inspection.

Allied Healthcare Wembley is a domiciliary care agency that provides a range of care support to adults living in their own homes. People who used the service had a range of support needs including physical and sensory impairments, learning disabilities, mental health needs and conditions associated with ageing, such as dementia. In addition to providing personal care, the service also assisted people with domestic tasks, such as shopping, housework and meal preparation. At the time of our inspection the service provided support to 170 people who predominantly lived in the London Boroughs of Ealing and Brent.

A registered manager was in place. 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 told us that they felt safe when receiving care. Staff members understood how to safeguard the people whom they supported. There were appropriate numbers of staff employed to ensure that people’s needs were met and that there was continuity of care in the case of staff absence. The provider had carried out checks to ensure that staff members were of good character and suitable for the work that they were engaged in.

Arrangements were in place to ensure that risks associated with the provision of care and support were assessed and managed. Risk assessments and management plans had been reviewed regularly and updated where there had been changes in people’s care needs.

Some people's medicines were administered by staff members and we saw that this was recorded. the service's monitoring procedures had identified an issue in relation to the clarity of one record. One record did not include information about codes used to indicate where medicines had not been administered and this was addressed immediately.

Staff received regular training that covered a wide range of topics and met national training standards for staff working in health and social care services. They were able to describe the training that they had received and tell us about how it helped them to support the people with whom they worked.

Training and information had been provided to staff about The Mental Capacity Act (2005), including the Deprivation of Liberties Safeguards. Information about people’s capacity to consent was contained within their care plans, and staff were able to describe how they supported people to make decisions and choices about their care.

Arrangements were in place to ensure that staff were provided with regular supervision by a manager. The records showed that regular supervisions had taken place and this was confirmed by the staff members that we spoke with.

Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported, and people were involved in making decisions about their care. People told us that they valued the support that they received from their care staff. Staff members spoke positively about their work and the people whom they supported.

People told us that they knew how to contact the office and were confident that the provider would deal with complaints appropriately and quickly. Regular monitoring of people’s views of the service had taken place and we noted that this showed high levels of satisfaction with the service.

People and staff members told us they were satisfied with the management of the service. There were effective processes in place to monitor the care and welfare of people and improve the quality of the service. Changes were being made as a result of these, such as training to improve the quality of report writing and recording, and the introduction of new streamlined care plans.

The service worked in partnership with other health and social care providers to achieve positive outcomes for people.