Archived: Allied Healthcare High Wycombe

The service had a registered manager as required. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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. The registered manager and office manager were present and assisted us during the inspection.

At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People told us they felt safe with the care staff. Relatives felt their family members received support that was safe. Staff were trained and knowledgeable in how to safeguard people and understood their responsibilities. People were supported safely with their medicines and received them at the required times. Risks to people and their well-being were assessed and measures put in place to minimise them without restricting people’s freedom. A robust recruitment procedure was followed to ensure as far as possible only suitable staff were employed. Appropriate personal protective equipment was supplied and used to help control the spread of infection.

People continued to receive effective support from staff who were trained and had the necessary skills to fulfil their role. Staff were well supported through regular supervision meetings and appraisals of their work. People were supported with maintaining their diet and hydration. People’s healthcare needs were monitored; staff had been trained to identify early warning signs of deterioration and sought advice promptly from healthcare professionals when necessary. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible, the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The service remained caring. People and their relatives told us staff were kind and patient. It was evident staff had formed trusting relationships with them. People told us they looked forward to their visits. Staff understood how to protect people’s privacy and relatives told us staff treated people with respect. People and when appropriate relatives were fully involved in making decisions about their care. Staff encouraged people to maintain as much independence as possible.

The service remained responsive to people’s individual needs and took account of their personal preferences in relation to culture, beliefs and protected characteristics. Staff knew people very well and paid attention to finding out about their preferred routines. Individual care plans were person-centred and considered the diverse needs of each person. The service provided flexible support which was appreciated by people and their relatives. Complaints were taken seriously and managed in accordance with the provider’s policy; people were aware of how to raise concerns and who to speak to. Although the managers were not fully aware of the accessible information standard we saw they were meeting its requirements.

The service was well-led, people benefitted from a stable and longstanding management and staff team. The management team provided strong leadership and staff felt supported in their roles. Records were relevant, complete and reviewed regularly to reflect current information. There was an open, empowering, person centred culture in the service and the values of the service were embedded in the way the service was led. Feedback was sought and used to monitor the quality of the service. Audits were conducted and used to make improvements.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We spoke with two people who used the service. Both were complimentary in their appraisal of the support they received. One person told us 'They have some lovely carers.' The other person they felt that the care provided to them met their needs.

We spoke with five staff members, who all told us that they believed they offered a good service to the people they supported. One staff member told us they felt the quality of the care was very good and that most staff 'Go over and above the call of duty' to ensure the care was of a high standard.

We read the care plans of three people and recruitment files for three staff members. We found that records reflected people who use the service were involved in their care planning, and consented to the support they were provided with. We read how the provider safeguarded people from abuse through safer recruitment practices, and through training and supervision of staff members.