Ash Care Services Salisbury Ltd

Updated 20 August 2019

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

The inspection was undertaken by one inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Ash Care Services Limited is a domiciliary care agency that provides support to people in their own homes.

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

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit to ensure the registered manager would be available to assist with the inspection.

We visited the office location on 17 June 2019, to see the registered manager.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection, we reviewed information we had received and held about the service. This included statutory notifications sent to us about events and incidents that had occurred at the service. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. 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.

During the inspection

We reviewed people’s support plans and associated care records and information relating to the management of the agency. This included areas such as quality auditing and staff recruitment, training and supervision. To gain feedback about the service, we spoke with two people, four relatives and four members of staff on the telephone.

Updated 20 August 2019

Ash Care Services Ltd is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care to people in their own homes in Salisbury and Downton.

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

At the last inspection, there were shortfalls in risk management, quality auditing systems and the safe management of medicines. We issued three requirements to ensure the registered manager made improvement in all areas.

At this inspection, medicines were safely managed. Information showed people’s medicines and the instructions for their use. Staff had appropriately signed the medicine administration records to show they had given people their medicines.

Risks to people’s safety had been identified. This included areas such as the environment, fire and the person’s mobility. Staff told us any concerns about a person’s safety would be reported to the registered manager.

Systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service had improved. This included checks of people’s support plans and the daily records. The registered manager undertook people’s support to ensure the expected standard of care delivery was being provided.

There were enough staff to support people although more would be needed if the service expanded.

People’s needs were fully assessed before being offered a service. Their needs and preferences were detailed within a support plan, which they helped to devise and review.

People were happy with their support and received a service that was responsive to their needs.

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 were complimentary about the staff and their rights to privacy, dignity and independence were promoted.

Staff knew people well and established relationships had been built.

Staff undertook a range of training to help them meet the responsibilities of the role they were employed to do.

There was a caring ethos that was adopted throughout the staff team.

Rating at last inspection - The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement. (The report was published on 3 July 2018).

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection, we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will monitor all intelligence about the service and complete another inspection in line with this and our frequency of inspection guidance.

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