Austen Allen Homecare - Gravesham

Updated 24 April 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) 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 Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

One inspector and one expert by experience carried out this inspection on the 22 and 26 March 2019. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert by experience telephoned people that used the service to gain their feedback.

Service and service type:

Austen Allen Homecare, Gravesham, is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the registered manager 48 hours’ notice of our inspection as Austen Allen Homecare, Gravesham, is a community based service and we needed to be sure the registered manager and staff would be available. The expert by experience made calls to people and relatives of people that used the service on the 22 March 2019. We visited the office location on 26 March 2019, to see the registered manager and office staff; and to review care records, staff records and policies and procedures.

What we did:

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection, in February 2018. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse or serious injury. We asked the service to complete a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection, we spoke to four people who used the service; ten relatives of people that used the service; eight care staff, the registered manager; two care advisors; the lead co-ordinator; the training manager and a trainee assistant.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people's care records and medicine records. We also looked at four staff files recruitment, assessment and supervision and support. We reviewed records relating to the management of the service, staff training and policies and procedures.

Updated 24 April 2019

About the service:

Austen Allen Homecare, Gravesham, is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care for people who require support in their own home. The Gravesham office is one of two locations the provider has registered with CQC.

CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’ and help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection, the service was supporting 75 people, all of whom received some element of personal care. Austen Allen Homecare provide care services mainly to people living in the Gravesham and surrounding areas.

Following the last inspection, we asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve the key questions, Safe and Well-led, to at least Good. We found that the provider had undertaken actions in their action plan.

People’s experience of using this service:

• People told us they felt safe with staff. People when asked if they felt safe said, “Very”, “Absolutely” and “Without a shadow of a doubt, absolutely.”

• People had good relationships with staff, who were knowledgeable of their physical and emotional needs, as well as likes, dislikes and interests. Staff were responsive to changes in people's health needs. If needed, they sought advice from relevant professionals.

• People felt included in planning their care. People’s rights and their dignity and privacy were respected.

• People were supported to live the lifestyle of their choice. People told us they were listened to by the management of the service. One person said, “Staff regularly check to see if anything needs to be changed.”

• People could involve relatives and others who were important to them when they chose the care they wanted.

• People received a person-centred service that met their needs and helped them to achieve their goals and ambitions. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible. One relative told us, “Part of the care plan is to help my relative maintain independence and the staff are following that.”

• People were fully involved in their care planning and received information in a way that they understood. The electronic care plans now being used were consistently reviewed and updated. Care planning informed staff what people could do independently and what staff needed to do to support people.

• Staff supported people to maintain a balanced diet and monitor their nutritional health. People had access to GP’s and their health and wellbeing was supported by prompt referrals and access to medical care if they became unwell.

• Medicines were stored and managed safely. There were policies and procedures in place for the safe administration of medicines. Staff followed these policies and had been trained to administer medicines safely.

• People were protected from the spread of infection.

• People felt comfortable raising any complaints with staff and the registered manager.

• People were asked for feedback about the service they received.

• People found the registered manager approachable and supportive.

• The registered manager recruited staff with relevant experience and the right attitude to work with people. New staff were given an induction and on-going training.

• Staff were deployed in a planned way, with the correct training, skills and experience to meet people’s needs.

• The registered manager made sure they monitored the service in various ways to ensure they continued to provide a good quality service that maintained people’s safety.

• The registered manager and staff were working with a clear vision for the service.

Rating at last inspection: This service was rated, ‘Requires Improvement’ at the last inspection on 7 and 12 February 2018.

At this inspection, we found that improvements had been made and the service met the characteristics of Good in all domains.

Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection to follow up on the issues raised at the last inspection.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk