Archived: Ashley Care LLP

Updated 11 May 2015

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 was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 5 January 2015 and 27 February 2015 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of three inspectors.

Before the inspection visit we reviewed any information we held about the service, including any notifications received since the last inspection. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We also looked at safeguarding concerns reported to CQC. This is where one or more person’s health, wellbeing or human rights may not have been properly protected and they may have suffered harm, abuse or neglect.

During our inspection we went to the provider’s office and spoke with the registered manager and the deputy manager. We telephoned one professional who had regular contact with the service. We spoke with 19 people who used the service and nine care workers. We looked at records in relation to people’s care, staff recruitment and training. We also looked at the systems for monitoring the quality of the service.

Updated 11 May 2015

Ashley Care LLP provides a personal care service for adults who live in their own homes in the Southend on Sea area.

This inspection took place on 5 January 2015.

At our last inspection on 16 December 2013 we asked the provider to take action to make improvements to their complaints system. The provider sent us an action plan and at this inspection they had completed the action in the plan.

The registered manager has been in post since the service was first registered. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us that they were happy with the service they received and that it was ‘first rate.’ They felt safe when the agency’s staff were in their homes. Staff were kind and caring and that they treated them with dignity and respect.

Staff had a good knowledge about how to safeguard people from abuse and they had received regular training and updates to refresh their knowledge. Risks to people’s health and well-being had been assessed and were well managed.

Staff were well trained, supervised and supported to do their work. There was a good recruitment process in place and staff did not start work until all of their pre-employment checks had been carried out. Although there was generally sufficient staff working for the agency there were some problems at weekends or when staff were off sick or on annual leave. The manager had employed more staff to help alleviate this problem and recruitment was on-going.

Medication practice was good. Staff who administered medication had been trained and their competence to administer it had been checked.

People were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts to meet their needs. Staff had a good knowledge about people’s needs and preferences. The service was responsive to people’s changing needs and ensured that they were met. People knew how to complain and the service had dealt with their complaints appropriately.

The service was well-led and provided people with good quality care. The quality assurance system was effective and improvements had been made as a result of learning from people’s views and opinions.