Abel Care and Support Office

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.

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, 5 people were using the service.

Not everyone using Abel Care and Support Ltd receives a regulated activity; 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 is required to have a registered manager and there was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

There was a strong person-centred culture within the service. Staff and management took a creative approach to ensuring people’s comfort and wellbeing. They built open and trusting relationships with the people they supported and their families. People were listened to and received full support to express their views and opinions. People and their relatives were treated with dignity and respect at all times, and there was a strong emphasis upon maintaining and developing people’s independence.

Staff had received training in, and understood, their role in protecting people from abuse and discrimination. The risks associated with people's individual care and support needs had been assessed, recorded and plans were in place to manage these. People received a consistent and reliable service from Abel Care and Support Ltd, provided by staff they knew well. The provider had taken steps to protect people, staff and others from the risk of infection.

Before people’s care started, their individual care and support needs were assessed to enable the provider to develop effective care plans. Staff received training, supervision and ongoing support to help them fulfil their duties and responsibilities. Any specific needs or risks associated with people’s meal preparation, eating or drinking had been assessed and managed. Management and staff sought to work in a collaborative manner with external organisations, teams and professionals to ensure people received joined-up care and support. If people were unwell, staff helped them to access prompt professional medical advice and treatment. Staff understood people's rights under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and respected their decisions.

People received care and support shaped around their individual needs and what was most important to them. People's care plans were individual to them, and were adhered to by staff. People and their relatives understood how to raise complaints or concerns with the provider, and felt comfortable and confident doing so.

People, their relatives, staff and community professionals had developed positive relationships with a caring and approachable management team. Staff felt valued and well-supported. The provider carried out effective quality assurance activities to assess, monitor and improve the quality of the care and support people received.