15 August 2014
During a routine inspection
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 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.
Appleberry Care Dorset &Hants is a domiciliary care agency. It is a small service and, at the time of our inspection, the registered manager was the only member of staff and they were providing personal care and support to two children. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.
Appleberry Care Dorset &Hants is part of Appleberry Care Ltd which has one other domiciliary care service. The registered manager of Appleberry Care Dorset &Hants is also the director of Appleberry Care Limited.
This was an announced inspection; we told the provider two days before that we would be coming. This was because we wanted to ensure that the registered manager would be available to meet with us.
Relatives told us they were happy with the service. They told us they felt their relative was safe and that the care they received met their needs. People had care plans that described how their care was delivered in ways that respected their preferences. Risks were described clearly as were the ways that they were managed to keep people safe.
Relatives and a colleague spoke positively about the registered manager. They told us she was caring and communicated openly and effectively. They had experience, training, skills and knowledge suitable for their role.