Archived: Allied Healthcare - Plymouth

The wife of a person receiving care told us that “someone came out and told us what to expect, the services that were available and asked what we wanted. We are treated respectfully and my husband is encouraged to do as much as he can, they help him when needed”.

Another person told us that the service was “very good indeed, they are lovely men and women I haven’t had a grumble since I started with them. They are very nice people I look forward to seeing them. They treat me respectfully; they are very polite to me and listen to what I have to say. They have the time to do what needs to be done and know what I require”.

We spoke with four care staff who had worked for the organisation from between eleven months and eight years. All staff told us they received safeguarding adults training and were able to tell us the possible signs of abuse and action to take if they suspected abuse.

Staff we spoke with told us that they felt well supported and received regular supervision and an annual appraisal. One member of staff told us that they had “access to training that was second to none”.

The organisation had a comprehensive computer based information system that helped to ensure consistency of care and monitor quality. One person told us that they had “complained about a carer being late and this had not happened since”.

We saw from care records we looked at that people had been asked if they agreed with their care plans and risk assessments. The care plans and risk assessments were detailed and directed staff in how to care and support people. We saw that the records were regularly reviewed and updated and were stored appropriately once removed from a persons own home.

The care records we looked at contained detailed information relating to medicines management. We saw there was a robust system of auditing medication records once they had been returned to the office. This meant that people could be assured that their medicines were being managed in a safe and appropriate way.

We were told there were enough staff to meet the current visits the agency had been asked to do. The registered manager told us they were recruiting more staff to meet increased demand for their services. We were told staff had a one week face to face induction before they were allowed to shadow experienced care workers or nurses for a period of time.

We saw there was ongoing training and robust systems in place to ensure the staff were able to carry out their role.