22 October 2019
During a routine inspection
Care Avenues Limited is a domiciliary care service registered to provide personal care. At the time of the inspection the service was providing care to 60 people in their own homes.
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
Nine months after our last inspection, a new manager was appointed at the service. The new manager had identified a number of areas for action and was working to address the issues raised at our last inspection. Action plans and audits were in place to drive improvement in the service and provide the registered manager with oversight of the service. However, this remained a work in progress and was continually being re-assessed. Audits to log books were not completed in a timely manner resulting in a delay in action being taken when errors were highlighted. Audits to staff recruitment files had failed to highlight missing information which was identified during inspection.
People were happy with the service they received and told us they would recommend it. Staff felt supported in their role and were on board with the registered manager’s vision for the service, which was to provide people with person centred care. People’s views of the service were sought and acted on where appropriate.
People were supported by staff who were aware of the risks to them and how to support them safely in line with their care needs. Staff had received training in how to recognise signs of abuse and were aware of their responsibilities to report and act on any concerns that came to their attention. People were supported to receive their medication as prescribed. Staff had been recruited safely. There was a system in place to monitor calls to people and alert management to any potential late or missed calls.
Staff received an induction that provided them with the training, information and support they required to effectively and safely meet people’s needs. Staff felt supported and well trained. Staff practice was observed to ensure people were supported safely and in-line with their care needs.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and care 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 supported by a consistent group of care staff who were aware of people’s healthcare needs and supported them to access healthcare services, where appropriate. People were supported where appropriate at mealtimes.
Staff treated people with dignity and respect and routinely encouraged people to be involved in decisions regarding their care. Staff were described as kind and caring and people received care and support based on their individual assessment, needs and preferences.
There were systems in place to respond to and act on any complaints received. People were confident that if they raised a complaint they would be listened to and it would be acted on.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 25 October 2018) and there were two breaches of regulation. 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 improvement shad 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 continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk