Alpenbest South is a large domiciliary care agency supporting people with personal care in their own homes. Most people using the agency received individual care visits; six people received live-in care. The agency is the largest provider of domiciliary care for the local authority, Surrey County Council. People’s experience of using this service:
People received their care from consistent staff who understood their needs and preferences. Staff were kind and treated people with respect and dignity. People were involved in planning their care and their rights and wishes were respected. Staff encouraged and supported people to maintain their independence.
Staff monitored people’s health closely and reported any concerns promptly. Relatives and professionals told us staff were good at identifying and reporting changes to people’s health or well-being. Staff worked effectively with other professionals, such as GPs, district nurses and occupational therapists, to ensure people received the care they needed. If people’s needs changed, the agency ensured that risk assessments and care plans were reviewed and that staff were briefed about these changes.
The agency had effective quality monitoring systems, which ensured that people received safe, consistent and well-planned care. Quality monitoring included regular spot checks and observations on the care staff provided. People had opportunities to give their views about the care they received. The agency acted on people’s suggestions and requests for changes. People who had complained told us action had been taken to address their concerns.
The agency had a clear management structure which ensured accountability for key functions, such as rota planning, training and quality monitoring. Managers and office staff met regularly to plan the service and to discuss any challenges or concerns. There were systems in place to ensure learning took place from incidents and that improvements were made as a result. Complaints and allegations were investigated thoroughly and openly. People who had complained told us action had been taken to address their concerns. The agency informed other agencies of events when necessary and senior managers understood their responsibilities under Duty of Candour.
Staff had access to the induction, training and support they needed to carry out their roles. The agency had in-house training resources and accessed further training from a variety of sources when needed. This included specialist training where necessary to meet people’s individual needs.
Staff had opportunities to discuss their performance and development needs at one-to-one supervision meetings with their line managers. The agency had a set of values which focused on the provision of high quality, person-centred care. Staff were introduced to these values in their induction and were expected to demonstrate them in their practice.
Potential risks to people and staff were managed well. Risk assessments were carried out before people received care and measures put in place to minimise these. Medicines were managed safely. Staff helped people keep their homes clean and maintained appropriate standards of infection control.
Staff were recruited safely. Checks were carried out to ensure staff were of good character and suitable to work in health and social care. The provider had reviewed the agency’s business continuity plan to address the potential effects of Brexit and had supported staff to register on the EU settlement scheme where necessary.
The service met the characteristics of Good in all areas; more information is in the full report.
Rating at last inspection:
The service was rated Good at the last inspection on 5 September 2016.
Why we inspected:
This was a scheduled inspection based on the rating awarded at the previous inspection.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor the service through notifications and communication with partner agencies such as local authorities and other commissioners. We will inspect the service again according to the rating achieved at this inspection unless we receive information of concern, in which case we may bring the next inspection forward.