6 June 2014
During a routine inspection
We looked at the care records of two people that used the service. We spoke with a lead carer and the provider of the service. We were not able to communicate with people directly because of their condition. All the people who use the service had appointed deputies, usually solicitors, who were responsible for their welfare. The provider was the sole owner of ABI Services and was also the registered manager.
Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people told us, what we observed and the records we looked at.
If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.
This is a summary of what we found:
Is the service safe?
People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Safeguarding procedures were clear. The lead carer and the manager understood how to safeguard people they supported. Risks had been considered. Risk management strategies had been agreed and followed. People had the opportunity to make choices and remained in control of decisions about their care and lives.
People benefited from safe care and support, due to good decision making and appropriate management of risks to their health, welfare and safety. The service had been led effectively to manage risk.
Is the service effective?
The service had helped ensure people's care and support achieved good outcomes, promoted a good quality of life and was based on the best available evidence. The service had helped people find suitable carers to work with and support them. The service had provided people with a structure for the recruitment and supervision of the people they employed. The service had helped people to assess, plan and use their own schedules of care and support. The service had monitored the provision of care over time. This had helped people to ensure that their needs were met.
Is the service caring?
The service helped ensure that carer's involved and treated people with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. The service had placed the needs, wishes, preferences and decisions of people using the service at the centre of their work. The provider had been active in supporting people to live independently. The service had maintained and adapted their involvement in response to the individual circumstances of people using the service.
Is the service responsive?
People's needs had been assessed and support was organised to meet their needs. The initial assessment provided the foundation upon which services were planned. We found that people had been given the right support and had been helped in areas that were important to them. Examples of this included helping people to drive and enjoy foreign travel. Records we looked at showed that people's preferences had been recorded and that the care and support provided had met their wishes. People had been supported and cared for in a way that helped them to be as independent as possible.
Is the service well led?
Leadership, management and governance of ABI Services had been in line with the delivery of high quality person centred care. The manager had very good knowledge of people's needs and the support provided to help meet them. The manager had maintained a good oversight of the care people had been receiving. The manager supported carers learning and promoted open communication.