About the service:

Agee Care Limited is a domiciliary care service that was providing personal care to 14 people in their own homes.

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

People’s experience of using this service:

People were supported by safely recruited staff, who had the skills and knowledge to provide effective support. Staffing levels were regularly reviewed to ensure there were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. Medicines were managed safely and staff followed infection control procedures.

Effective care planning and risk management was in place which guided staff to provide support that met people’s needs and in line with their preferences. People were supported to have choice and control over their lives.

People were supported by caring staff who promoted choices in a way that people understood, this meant people had control and choice over their lives. Staff provided dignified care and respected people’s privacy.

People were involved in the planning and review of their care. Staff used care plans to ensure they provided support in line with people’s wishes. This ensured people received personalised care in line with their preferences and diverse needs.

Systems were in place to monitor the service, which ensured people’s risks were mitigated and lessons were learnt when things went wrong. There was an open culture within the service. People and staff could approach the registered manager who acted on concerns raised to make improvements to the delivery of care.

The service met the characteristics of Good in all areas; more information is available in the full report below.

Rating at last inspection:

Requires Improvement (report published 14 November 2017).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. At the last inspection the service was rated requires improvement overall (in the key questions of Safe, Effective and Well Led). We found the required improvements had been made and the service has met the characteristics of Good in all areas. The overall rating is Good.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.

This inspection took place on 21 September 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides domiciliary care services; we needed to be sure that someone would be in. Agee Care provides personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, eight people were receiving a service from the provider. This was the first comprehensive inspection of the service following registration.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People’s risks were assessed but staff were not always given guidance to minimise these risks. People were supported by safely recruited staff that understood how to safeguard them from potential abuse People received their support at the times they needed it and from safely recruited staff. People medicines were administered safely.

The principles of the Mental Capacity Act were not fully understood by staff and people that lacked capacity did not have their capacity assessed. People received support from suitably skilled staff. People received support from staff to maintain a healthy diet and they told us staff enabled them to choose what they had to eat and drink. People felt they would be supported to monitor their health and access support if they needed it.

People had support from kind polite and caring staff. People were supported to make choices about all aspects of their care and support. People were supported in a way which helped them to stay independent. Staff supported people in a way which maintained their privacy and dignity when providing care and support.

People were involved in their assessments and care planning. People’s preferences were understood by staff and they were supported to engage in activities of their choice. People had access to a complaints procedure and there was a policy in place to investigate all complaints.

The systems in place to check the quality of the service were not always effective. People felt they could approach the registered manager and they had opportunities to provide feedback about the quality of the service.