Background to this inspection
Updated
10 July 2015
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 was 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.
This inspection took place on 19 May 2015 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure the registered manager was available.
One inspector and an expert by experience undertook the inspection. The expert by experience was a person who had personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
We looked at the information we held about the service. This included notifications the home had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. The provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asked the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
During our inspection we went to the provider’s office and spoke with the registered manager, the care director, three care quality supervisors, five office staff and two care staff. This was to gain information on how the service was run and check that standards of care were being met.
We reviewed the care records of eight people who used the service, reviewed the records for five staff and records relating to the management of the service.
After the inspection visit we undertook phone calls to 21 people who used the service and spoke with eight people. We also visited a person using the service in their own home.
Updated
10 July 2015
The inspection took place on 19 May 2015 and was announced. We told the provider two days before our visit that we would be coming. We did this because we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in. At our previous inspection in December 2013 we did not have any concerns.
Allied Healthcare Stafford provides care and support to people in their own homes and in the Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent areas. At the time of this inspection 178 people used the service.
A registered manager was in post at the time of our inspection. 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.
CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLs) and to report on what we find. The MCA is designed to protect people who can't make decisions for themselves or lack the mental capacity to do so and the Deprivation of Liberty safeguards ensures that people are not unlawfully restricted. The provider did not consistently follow the guidance of the MCA and ensure that people who required support to make decisions were supported and that decisions were lawfully made in people’s best interests.
People were supported in their own homes and told us they felt safe and comfortable with the service provided. People told us they felt well supported by regular staff who knew their needs and preferences. People felt less well supported by staff who were not their regular staff.
Systems were in place to ensure that people who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse. The registered manager and staff had received training in safeguarding adults from abuse and were aware of the procedures to follow if they suspected that someone was at risk of harm.
People were offered support in a way that upheld their dignity and promoted their independence. Care plans were written in a personalised way based on the needs of the person concerned.
People were supported at mealtimes to have food and drinks of their choice.
Systems were in place to ensure that people were supported by staff who were of good character and able to carry out the work. People told us they looked forward to the staff coming to support them.
People who used the service told us they received their medicines in the way they had been prescribed.
People had mixed views of the knowledge and competency of some of the staff. Staff told us they received sufficient training for them to do their job.
People told us that most staff were kind and caring. People had individualised care plans to support the staff with providing care and support that maintained people’s independence.
Complaints and concerns were looked at by the registered manager in line with the procedures and action was taken to reduce the risk of recurrence.
People told us they felt well supported by the management and staff worked well as a team. The safety and quality of the home was regularly checked and improvements made when necessary.