Age UK Maidstone

Updated 19 May 2022

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 is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 1 March 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 2 days’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 19 May 2022

We inspected this service on 12 July 2017. The inspection was announced. The provider was given two working days’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the locations office to see us.

Age UK Maidstone, provides two personal care services: a bathing service and a foot care service. The bathing service is provided for people within their own homes. The foot care service is provided for people in their own home or in a clinic, one of which is at the registered office in Maidstone town centre. Age UK Maidstone is a charity that provides a range of services for older people in the Maidstone area. At the time of our inspection 30 people were using the bathing service and 420 people were using the foot care service.

Age UK Maidstone offered people additional services such as a befriending service, wheelchair hire and travel vouchers. The registered manager organised social groups within the local community.

At the time of our inspection, there was a registered manager in place. 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.

The feedback we received from people using both services was consistently positive. Those people that used the bathing service expressed great satisfaction of the service being provided and spoke very highly of the staff supporting them. People said both services were responsive to their needs and provided a much needed service within the community. People’s privacy was respected and maintained by staff who understood the importance of maintaining people’s dignity.

The safety of people using the service was taken seriously by the registered manager and staff who understood their responsibility to protect people from the risk of harm. People felt safe with the staff that supported them. Information was available to inform staff to whom and where to report any concerns they had. Recruitment practices were safe and checks were carried out to make sure staff were suitable to work with people who needed care and support.

Risks to people using the service had been identified and managed. Potential risks to staff when visiting people’s homes had been assessed and control measures put in place. People who worked within the registered office followed assessments to minimise potential risks to them.

Staff received the training they required to meet people’s needs. Staff were supported in their role by the registered manager. Recruitment practices were safe and checks were carried out to make sure staff were suitable to work with people who needed care and support.

Information was available to people regarding how to make a complaint about the service they received. People knew what to do if they were unhappy and knew who to contact at the registered office. People’s feedback was actively sought and acted on to improve the quality of the service being provided.