Archived: Adex Care Ltd

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.

At the last inspection we found that safe recruitment practices were not always being followed. This had improved on this inspection.

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; however, this was not always evident in care plans. We have made a recommendation regarding this as some information was confusing in parts. People were supported to eat, and drink where needed, and staff were trained, supervised and appraised in line with the policy of the organisation.

Everyone we spoke with told us they felt safe receiving care from Adex. There were comprehensive risk assessments in place which were tailored to reflect each person’s assessed need. People confirmed they received their medications and calls on time. Staff knew how to report safeguarding concerns and staff were recruited safely.

Staff treated people with kindness and dignity, and people confirmed they were involved in choices and decisions regarding their care and support. People’s diverse needs were catered for.

Care plans were person centred and reflect the needs of each person. Routines were discussed with people, and they had been involved in completing their care plans. Relatives confirmed communication from staff was good, and staff supported people to make healthcare appointments were needed. Complaints were investigated and responded too, and staff were trained in end of life care.

There was one statutory notification the registered manager had not made us aware of, which was an oversight on their behalf. There were audits and quality checks in place, complete with action plans.

Rating at last inspection- rated good (3 March 2017)

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

At our last inspection of the home in November 2015 we asked the provider to make improvements with regards to recruitment processes, staff monitoring, training, complaint, care plans medication management and recording of people’s views. At this inspection we found that improvements had been made to the majority of what had previously identified. However there were still improvements to be made and the service had shown that they had recognised what was needed and was continually improving.

The service had 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. The registered manager was in attendance at the time of inspection as well as the two co-ordinators and the training manager.

We found that recruitment practices were in place which included the completion of pre-employment checks prior to a new member of staff working at the service. However we found that some new staff did not have two references prior to employment as was stated in the services policies.

Care plans and risk assessments were in place for the care people required, however we identified that the service did not have a system in place to check the daily log sheets that recorded the care that was being delivered was what had been agreed in the care plan or had been risk assessed.

The provider had systems in place to ensure that people were protected from the risk of harm or abuse. We saw there were policies and procedures in place to guide staff in relation to safeguarding adults and whistleblowing. Staff received regular training and supervision to enable them to work safely and effectively.

All of the responses from people who spoke with the inspector were that the service was either very good or excellent. People told us they were very happy with the staff and felt that the staff understood their care needs. People confirmed that staff stayed for the length of time allocated and arrived on time. All of people we spoke with had no complaints about the service.

The staff employed by Adex Care LTD and the registered manager knew the people they were supporting and the care they needed. People who used the domiciliary service and staff told us that Adex Care LTD was well led and staff told us that they felt supported in their roles. We saw that office staff were a visible presence and it was obvious through our observations that they knew the people who they supported really well.

The service had individual geographical areas of working and staff who worked in these areas for the majority was able to cover their own work absences on their areas, this meant people receiving the service had familiar people coming to support them in their home.

The care records we looked at contained good information about the support people required and recognised people’s needs. All records we saw were complete, up to date and regularly reviewed. We found that people were involved in decisions about their care and support. We also saw that medications were handled appropriately and safely.

Staff had access to gloves and aprons and had received training about health and safety and food hygiene this meant the infection control standards of the service were of a good standard.