Archived: Allied Healthcare - Devizes

Updated 14 November 2014

Allied Healthcare Devizes is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 27 people using the service. Services provided are for both adults and children who may have a range of needs including older people, people with dementia and adults and children with learning and physical disabilities.

We visited Allied Healthcare Devizes offices on 22 July 2014. We spoke with ten people who used the service and where appropriate their relatives. We also spoke with the registered manager, eight staff, a commissioner of the service and a social worker.  

We used a number of different methods to help us to understand the experiences of people who used the service. These included talking to people and their relatives and looking at documents and records that related to people’s support and care and the management of the service.

The inspection team consisted of an adult social care 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 service. The expert by experience gathered information from people who used the service by speaking with them.

We reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR) and previous inspection reports before the inspection. The PIR was information given to us by the provider. This enabled us to ensure we were addressing potential areas of concern. After the inspection we contacted other health and social care professionals the agency worked alongside, people using the service and their relatives.

This report was written during the testing phase of our new approach to regulating adult social care services. After this testing phase, inspection of consent to care and treatment, restraint, and practice under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) was moved from the key question ‘Is the service safe?’ to ‘Is the service effective?’

The ratings for this location were awarded in October 2014. They can be directly compared with any other service we have rated since then, including in relation to consent, restraint, and the MCA under the ‘Effective’ section. Our written findings in relation to these topics, however, can be read in the ‘Is the service safe’ sections of this report.

Updated 14 November 2014

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 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which looks at the overall quality of the service

There was a registered manager in post at Allied Healthcare Devizes.  A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

This was an announced inspection which meant the provider knew we would be visiting. This was because we wanted to make sure that the registered manager would be available to support our inspection, or someone who could act on their behalf. The previous inspection was conducted in July 2013, we found no concerns at the time.

Allied Healthcare Devizes is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. Services provided are for both adults and children who may have a range of needs including older people, people with dementia and adults and children with learning and physical disabilities. They also provided 24 hour care to support people to live in their own homes. They also supported people to access facilities within their local community.

Most people told us they were happy with the service they received. They said they had been involved in planning their care and were able to discuss changes when required.

Staff were appropriately trained and had received a thorough induction when they started working for Allied Healthcare Devizes. Where required, staff had received additional training specific to the needs of the person they were supporting. Staff we spoke with understood their roles and responsibilities. They spoke about people they were supporting in a kind and caring manner.

CQC monitors the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care settings. However whilst the law is different in domiciliary care settings the registered manager explained that this topic was “touched on” in induction and they were in the process of implementing additional training for care staff. Care staff we spoke with understood their responsibilities in supporting people to make choices and express their preferences.

Staff  told us they felt supported. They told us they received regular supervision and staff meetings were held throughout the year.

We contacted social workers and people who commissioned services from Allied Healthcare. They were complimentary about the staffing and support supplied. One social care professional told us “They are absolutely fantastic, very professional.”

The registered manager monitored the quality of care and support. People who used the service and their relatives were encouraged to feedback about the care and support they received, which was used to makes changes to services as required.