Abel Care and Support Office

Updated 10 February 2024

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of an inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is registered as a domiciliary care and supported living agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats and in 2 ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and other healthcare professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 1 person who used the service and 2 family members about their experience of the care provided. We received feedback from 3 members of staff and 1 healthcare professional who worked closely with the service provider. We reviewed a range of records. This included care records for 3 people. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality monitoring, minutes of meetings, policies and procedures, and the staff training matrix.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found, which was sent to us. We received written feedback from a person using the service.

Updated 10 February 2024

About the service

Abel Care and Support Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses in the community. It provides a service to older and younger adults, who may have learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorder, dementia, mental health care needs, physical disabilities or sensory impairments. At the time of our inspection visit, 3 people received the regulated activity of personal care from the service.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Right Support: People and relatives were delighted with the kindness and thoughtfulness of staff, which exceeded their expectations of how they would be cared for and supported. People explained how staff went over and above what they expected from them and they couldn't ask for anything more. People told us the support they received improved their well-being. Staff supported people to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence be independent and they had control over their own lives. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff focused on people’s strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life. Staff supported people to play an active role in maintaining their own health and wellbeing.

Right Care: People and their relatives told us that staff went over and above the call of duty and people said this made a difference to their lives. People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had received training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. People who had individual ways of communicating, using body language, sounds, Makaton (a form of sign language), pictures and symbols could interact comfortably with staff and others involved in their treatment/care and support because staff had the necessary skills to understand them.

Right Culture: People's relatives said staff helped them to put their minds at ease and get through the difficult time. The provider's philosophy, vision and values were understood and shared within the staff team. People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff. People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments or sensitivities people with a learning disability and/or autistic people may have. This meant people received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs. Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing. Staff turnover was very low, which helped to ensure people to receive consistent care from staff who knew them well. Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 15 June 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, caring and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service remained good.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Abel Care and Support Office on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.