- Homecare service
A & A Services West Midlands
Report from 19 June 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 5 to 13 September 2024. This assessment was carried out to follow up from our previous inspection to identify if improvements had been made. The service had made improvements and is no longer in breach of regulations. However, further improvements were needed to how risks were assessed and planned for. Some people had risks identified in relation to their health and there was no guidance for staff on how to manage these risks. Staff recruitment practices were not consistently safe, and the policy was not in line with good practice. Assessment and care planning systems were in place but these lacked detail about people’s needs and preferences. There was no consideration of end-of-life care or future wishes for people. Governance arrangements in place were not always effective in identifying areas of concern and driving improvements. Improvements had been made to the systems for responding to complaints and there was a system in place to ensure these were investigated and learning was drawn from these. Safeguarding procedures were now in place, understood by staff and followed to ensure people were safe. Staff were caring and responsive to people’s needs. People received support which was person centred and were supported to maintain their independence and make choices about their care.
People's experience of this service
Relatives told us people were happy with the care people received. People were described as receiving safe care and systems to report any concerns were understood. Relatives told us staff understood how to manage risks to people’s safety and were trained in systems to keep people safe including infection prevention control. Nobody we spoke with received support with medicines and nobody had experienced any incidents or accidents, although relatives felt these would be managed well if they occurred. Relatives told us people had their needs assessed and consent was sought to provide people’s care. Staff were described as kind, caring and respectful, working to promote independence and provide person centred care. Relatives understood how to make a complaint but were unclear about partnership working arrangements and had no engagement in planning for the end of people's lives.