Background to this inspection
Updated
27 April 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team: This inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.
Service and service type: Apollo Home Healthcare Limited, West Midlands Office is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living 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: We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that staff would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection site visit activity started on 5 March 2019 and ended on 8 March 2019. We visited the office location on 5 March 2019 to see the registered manager and management team; and to review care records and policies and procedures. We made calls to people using the service and relatives on 8 March 2019.
What we did: We reviewed information we had received about the service and we contacted the local authority safeguarding and commissioning teams to gather information about the service. They raised no concerns about the care and support people received from Apollo Home Healthcare Limited. We used this information to plan our inspection.
During our inspection we spoke with seven members of staff including the management team, one person using the service and five relatives. We also spoke with four health and social care professionals that had experienced working with the service.
We reviewed a range of records. This included care records, information relating to staff recruitment and supervision and the training records for all staff. We also reviewed records relating to the management of the service and a variety of policies and procedures developed and implemented by the provider.
Updated
27 April 2019
About the service: Apollo Home Healthcare Limited, West Midlands Office is a domiciliary care service registered to provide care to people with complex needs of all ages living in their own homes. The service provided personal care to 23 adults and 18 children at the time of our inspection.
People’s experience of using this service: People and relatives told us staff were kind and caring in their approach. People told us staff had the expertise to provide effective care.
Care plans were person-centred and provided staff with the information they needed to provide care and support in a way that met people’s needs and preferences.
Staff knew how to protect vulnerable people and had safeguarding policies and procedures to guide them, which included the contact details of the local authority to report to.
There was a medicines policy and guidance for staff around safe administration. Staff had undertaken medicines training and competency checks were regularly undertaken. Medicines were administered as prescribed.
Staff assessed risks to people’s health, safety and wellbeing and put plans in place to manage these risks.
People told us they would feel confident to raise any complaints they might have. We saw complaints were identified, investigated and used to improve the service.
Most of the feedback we received about Apollo Home Healthcare was very positive and the service was delivering high quality care to many people using the service.
People/relatives told us that they were disappointed that calls had sometimes been cancelled at short notice due to staff sickness. The service had an individualised agreement with families to plan for cancelled calls.
We have recommended that Apollo Home Healthcare Limited, West Midlands Office review staff sickness contingency planning to improve consistency of care for people using the service.
There were processes in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service.
The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection.
The management team demonstrated a good understanding of all aspects of managing the service such as safeguarding procedures and medicines management.
People, relatives and staff were engaged by the service via surveys so that everyone could contribute to the development of the service. There was a credible strategy in place with plans for multiple new improvements and updates at the service. This was being implemented by the management team who were proactive in considering how the service could be improved.
Most people, staff and relatives spoke positively about the registered manager and management team.
The service met the characteristics of Good in all areas.
More information is in the full report.
Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection the service was rated as Good (15 July 2016).
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection to check that this service remained Good.
Follow up: Going forward we will continue to monitor this service and plan to inspect in line with our reinspection schedule for services rated Good.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk