Archived: Angel Touch Care Agency

Updated 15 August 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

One inspector carried out the inspection.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure the registered manager would be available to support the inspection.

Before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR) in May 2019. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We reviewed the evidence we had about the service. This included any notifications of significant events, such as serious injuries or safeguarding referrals. Notifications are information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.

During the inspection

Inspection site visit activity started and ended on 18 July 2019. We visited the office location on this date to speak with the registered manager and the registered provider and to review records, policies and procedures.

We checked care records for three people, including their assessments, care plans and risk assessments. We looked at four staff files and records of staff training and supervision. We also checked records including satisfaction surveys, complaints, quality monitoring checks and audits.

After the inspection

We spoke with five people who received care and three relatives by telephone to hear their views about the agency. We received feedback from six staff about the training and support they received from the agency to carry out their roles.

Updated 15 August 2019

Angel Touch Care Agency is a domiciliary care agency that was supporting 40 people at the time of the inspection. Not everyone using the service 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 consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received their care from regular staff who knew their needs well. People praised the caring nature of staff and said they looked forward to their visits. Relatives told us their family members benefited from the social contact they had with their care workers.

Staff treated people with respect and maintained their dignity when supporting them. Staff encouraged people to make choices about their care and respected their decisions. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff supported people to be independent where this was important to them. Staff supported some people to attend appointments and to maintain their involvement in their community.

Staff provided care in a safe way. They had received the training they needed to perform their roles and followed people’s care plans. Staff were recruited safely and understood their roles in protecting people from abuse.

People were encouraged to be involved in developing their care plans to ensure the support they received reflected their wishes and preferences. Care plans were reviewed regularly to ensure they accurately reflected people’s needs.

People received a flexible service that was responsive to their individual needs. People said the agency responded well if they needed to change their care arrangements.

The agency was well run. The management team communicated effectively with people, relatives and staff. People and their relatives were encouraged to give feedback through surveys, quality checks and at reviews. If people had suggested changes, the registered provider had implemented these.

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

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection the service was rated Good. The report of the last inspection was published on 30 December 2016.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence 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.