Apex Prime Care - Shaftesbury

Updated 13 August 2022

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 was carried out by one 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 a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

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 registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 12 July 2022 and ended on 21 July 2022. We visited the location’s office on 14 July and 21 July 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We contacted the local authority to seek feedback on the provider. 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 10 people who use the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with and received feedback from eight members of staff including the registered manager, health care assistants, care coordinator and human resource officer.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment, induction and training. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect. We received feedback from three professionals and used this to help inform our judgements in this report.

Updated 13 August 2022

About the service

Apex Prime Care Shaftesbury provides domiciliary support services to people in their own homes. It provides a service to older people and younger adults some of whom have a physical disability, sensory impairment or dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 41 people receiving a service.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

People, staff and relative’s feedback about communication with the office was mixed. The registered manager, who had recently taken on the role at the location, had identified this as an area for improvement and was taking steps to resolve this.

People told us staff made them feel safe and were well trained. They expressed satisfaction with the care they received. One person said, “All my care needs are met well.” A relative told us, “[The carers] are giving excellent care.”

Staff had a good understanding of the signs and symptoms that might indicate people were experiencing harm and abuse. They felt confident they would be listened to if they raised concerns.

People received their medicines on time and as prescribed. These were only administered by staff with the required training and competency checks. As and when people’s health changed, they were supported to access relevant health services.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. The registered manager had identified more detail was required in people’s mental capacity assessments and was reviewing these to ensure quality.

People and their relatives told us staff were kind and caring and treated them with respect.

People’s care plans were person-centred and contained detailed information to help staff get to know people well and meet their needs. This included how to support people’s communication needs and their emotional wellbeing.

Staff and professionals spoke positively about the registered manager. One professional expressed, “From my experience [name] has been a very good manager, [name’s] very good at letting us know of any issues and is very keen on following procedures.” The registered manager supported staff and looked to drive continuous improvement.

Various audits were undertaken which helped ensure service quality was maintained and improved. The registered manager understood the importance of good oversight to identify issues and embed good practice.

Staff felt appreciated and proud to work for the service. One told us, “I always feel proud to put my uniform on.”

The service understood the benefits to people of close liaison with other agencies and organisations such as community nurses, social work teams and GP practices.

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 the service at the previous premises was good (published 18 March 2020).

Why we inspected

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

Follow up

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