Archived: Allied Health-Services Bournemouth

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 our last inspection we made recommendations on how the service could improve the experience for people.

The recommendations included ensuring there were enough staff to cover the geographical area so people received a consistent and reliable service and had the time agreed in their care plan, Embedding a proactive approach to anticipating and managing risks to people that staff understood. Also ensuring effective systems, policies and procedures were in place to ensure safeguarding concerns were identified and managed promptly. The provider had made improvements.

People told us they received their prescribed medicines on time. Their medicines plans were more detailed which meant medicines were managed safely.

There was an ongoing programme of improving people’s care plans to make them more detailed in terms of their needs and how staff worked with people and relevant others to manage risks. Updated plans had enhanced explanations of how staff could support people to stay safe.

Staff had enough personal protective equipment to help keep themselves and people they supported safe from infection. Spot checks were undertaken to ensure staff wore this appropriately and in line with government guidance.

There was ongoing improvement to oversight of the service. This included a manager who started the day prior to the inspection.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 12 March 2020) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The previous registered manager completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to meet the regulations. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and they were no longer in breach of the regulations we looked at.

The service remains requires improvement. The service has been rated requires improvement for the last two consecutive inspections.

Why we inspected

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 9 January 2020. Breaches of legal requirements were found.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had met legal requirements in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance. This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions safe and well-led which contain those requirements.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has remained requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Allied Health Services - Bournemouth on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect again.

Allied Health-Services Bournemouth is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of this inspection 38 people were receiving care and support from the 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

Systems to oversee the quality of care provided and the management of the service were not robust. The management and administration of people’s medicines was not always safely undertaken. Assessment of people’s needs and care planning to support people and ensure their needs were understood and met was not detailed enough.

People told us they received care from staff who knew their needs well and ensured that they felt safe and well cared for. We have made recommendations about how risks are managed for people and how safeguarding issues are recognised and reported.

People and relatives told us the service provided staff who were caring and supportive. We have made a recommendation about how staff visits to people are planned to ensure they have the required time to spend with people and enough time to travel between visits.

People were supported by staff who provided flexible, responsive care. Staff recruitment checks ensured staff were suitable to work with people in a care setting. Staff induction and mandatory training enabled them to carry out their roles effectively. We have made a recommendation about staff training to ensure they can meet all people’s needs and that they receive appropriate supervision and support.

People told us they felt listened to and consulted when planning and agreeing what care and support they needed. People and staff felt the service was well led.

People knew how to make a complaint and felt confident they would be listened to if they needed to raise any concerns.

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; the policies and systems in the service did not always support this practice and we have made a recommendation regarding mental capacity assessments and best interest decisions.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 21/01/2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration.

Enforcement

We have identified breaches in relation to the governance of the service, the management and administration of medicines, assessment and care planning and failure to make notifications. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

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.