Archived: Audley Care Ltd - Audley Care Binswood

Audley Care Ltd - Audley Care Binswood is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes, within a residential community and within the wider community. Care staff call at people’s homes to provide personal care and support at set times agreed with them. At the time of our inspection 55 people received personal care from the service.

Not everyone using the service receives the regulated service of personal care. Some people had ‘cleaning’ or ‘shopping’ visits. CQC only inspects the personal care service provided to people, that is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where personal care is provided to people, we also take account of any wider social care provided. Audley Care Ltd - Audley Care Binswood also provide an on-call emergency service to everyone living in the building under a separate arrangement which people pay for as part of the service charge for the shared premises.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

We last inspected this service in April 2016, when we rated the service as ‘Good’ overall. At this inspection we found the quality of service had improved and is now rated ‘Outstanding’ in the caring key question, with a ‘Good’ rating in all other key areas. This meant the service has been rated ‘Good’ overall.

People were at the heart of the service and they felt very well cared for. Staff understood what was important to each person and worked closely with each other and other professionals to promote their well-being and happiness. Staff took account of and anticipated people’s needs to deliver an exceptional level of care. People and their relatives were included in planning how they were cared for and supported. Staff understood people’s diverse needs and interests and supported them to enjoy their lives according to their preferences. Staffing resources were managed with great care to ensure that staff had time to meet each person’s care and support needs. Staff respected people’s right to privacy and supported people to maintain their independence.

The provider and the registered manager utilised a range of management tools to deliver person centred, quality care to people. They demonstrated they valued care staff and promoted their learning and development. There was an open culture at the service where staff felt well supported, able to raise any concerns and put forward suggestions for improvements. Staff opinion was listened to, and the registered manager acted on their suggestions. Staff enjoyed their work and were motivated to provide people with high standards of care. They were proud to work for the service and felt listened to by senior staff. Systems ensured good standards of care were consistently maintained for people. The provider took a rigorous approach to staff recruitment to ensure new care staff had the right values to work in a caring and person-centred way. Staff had the knowledge and skills required to meet people’s individual needs effectively and were actively encouraged to study for advanced qualifications.

The provider encouraged people to feedback on how things were managed and to share their experiences of the service. People were extremely positive about the care and support they received from staff who valued them as individuals.

People were protected from the risks of harm or abuse because staff were trained in safeguarding and understood their responsibilities to raise any concerns with the registered manager. Risks to people's health and wellbeing were managed. The registered manager made sure there were enough suitably skilled, qualified and experienced staff to support people safely and effectively. Staff were provided with supervision and support, including direct observation of their care practice. The registered manager checked staff’s suitability to deliver care and support during the recruitment process.

Staff worked within the principles of the MCA and supported people to have maximum choice and control of their lives. People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet that met their needs and preferences. People were supported to maintain their health.

Audley Care Ltd - Leamington Spa is a domiciliary care agency which provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of our visit the service supported 69 people. The service was last inspected on 16 December 2013 when we found no breaches of Regulations.

The service has a registered manager. 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.

People told us they felt safe using the service and staff understood how to protect people from abuse. There were processes to minimise risks associated with people’s care to keep them safe. This included the completion of risk assessments and checks on staff to ensure their suitability to work with people who used the service.

There were enough suitably trained staff to deliver care and support to people. People had regular care workers who stayed for the agreed length of time. Staff received an induction and a programme of training to support them in meeting people’s needs effectively. Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), and staff respected people’s decisions and gained people’s consent before they provided personal care.

People told us staff were kind and caring and had the right skills and experience to provide the care and support they required. Care plans and risk assessments contained relevant information for staff to help them provide the care people required. Staff treated people in a way that respected their dignity and promoted their independence.

People were involved in planning how they were cared for and supported. Care was planned to meet people’s individual needs and preferences and care plans were regularly reviewed.

People knew how to complain and were able to share their views and opinions about the service they received. Staff felt well supported by the registered manager and were confident they could raise any concerns or issues, knowing they would be listened to and acted on. The registered manager valued staff and promoted their development.

There were processes to monitor the quality of the service provided and understand the experiences of people who used the service. This was through regular communication with people and staff, returned surveys, spot checks on staff and a programme of other checks and audits.