All About Home Care (Kent) in Southborough, Kent has been rated Outstanding for a second time following an inspection in December 2019 by the Care Quality Commission.
Inspectors rated the service Outstanding both overall and for being safe, caring, responsive to peoples’ needs, safe and well led and Good for being effective.
All About Homecare is a domiciliary care agency which is registered to provide personal care and support to adults. It provides a range of services, including personal care, companionship, medication support, meal preparation and domestic assistance.
James Frewin, Head of Inspection for Adult Social Care (South East), said;
“People were receiving exceptional care from All About Home Care. Services were developed and tailored to their needs. However, the promotion of independence and engagement with the local community was also viewed to be important.
“Staff spent time getting to know people to build meaningful and valued relationships with them and cared for the people they were supporting. People were treated with compassion and kindness and genuinely
“It was clear throughout the inspection at All About Home Care that the staff took pride in their work and went the extra mile for the people they supported. Not only have they kept to a level of excellence but they have taken our report to heart and tried to explore what else they could do to improve the care they offer their clients and we want to congratulate everyone at All About Home Care for what they have achieved there.”
Some of the key findings from the inspection include:
The service had a transparent, open culture and encouraged creative thinking in relation to people's safety. Staff showed empathy and had a "can do" attitude that encouraged people to challenge themselves to take positive risks.
Technology was used to enhance the delivery of effective care and support. For example, staff used an electronic platform to sign in and out of care visits and document medicines administration. This meant that office-based staff could monitor care delivery in real time. This reduced the likelihood of missed visits or medicines errors.
The service maintained a calendar of people's birthdays and important events. The registered manager told us that staff were always consulted about a personalised gift the person may like and make use of. Some staff visited people on their birthdays even when not working with the person on that day.
The service understood that people living with dementia were particularly at risk of social isolation. Since the last inspection the service was involved in establishing a community singing group called Find Your Voice. The group included people living with conditions such as dementia, Parkinson's or MS. Many of the regular attendees are people who use the service and are supported by the service to attend the sessions.
People were empowered to improve their quality of life and increase their confidence and independence. People had been supported to become more independent within their local community and let them to broaden their social circle.
The full inspection report can be found at: www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-2038764854
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