The inspection took place on 04 November 2016 and was announced.

The agency was last inspected on 06 January 2014 and met the required standard under the legislation at that time.

All Age Development Trust is a small domicillary care agency providing support for people in their own home. The agency focusses their support to people living in rural settings.

The agency had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.

The risk of abuse was minimised because there were clear policies and procedures in place to provide staff with information on how to protect people in the event of an allegation or suspicion of abuse.

Staff receive training to support them to deliver effective care.

Suitable recruitment processes and checks were in place to minimise the risk of unsuitable people being employed to work with vulnerable people.

People were supported by enthusiastic, caring staff.

Staff had good relationships with people who used the service and were attentive to their needs and took account of people’s wishes, likes and dislikes.

People were provided with information regarding the agency’s complaints procedure.

We looked at two support plans and other care records for people who used the agency and they all had an assessment of their health and social needs completed. The documentation was up to date and reviewed on a regular basis. People confirmed they were involved in the development of their support plans and these were reviewed with them.

We looked at the management of medication and saw that the service had appropriate policies and procedures in place. Staff received training in medication and people who used the agency confirmed that staff supported them with administration of medication when necessary.

We visited two people who used the agency and their relatives and spoke to another relative on the phone. We also spoke with two staff members. People we spoke with confirmed they were satisfied with the service.

People who used the service said: “The staff are very helpful”, “They are reliable”, “I have no problems, they are a dependable service” and “I am very happy and lucky to have them.” All the people who used the agency and their relatives said that the carers turn up on time and stay for the allocated length of time.

Staff commented: “The communication is good here, we get phone calls and texts to keep us up to date”, “The training is good”, “We are introduced to clients before we start to support them”. All the staff said they got good support from the management team and that they had no concerns about the welfare of the people they supported.

We looked at staff recruitment and saw that appropriate processes were in place and that people who used All Age Aid were protected by robust recruitment processes and practice.

We looked at the complaint process and procedure. We saw that no complaints had been made to the agency and people we spoke with stated they didn’t have any complaints.

We spoke with two people who used the agency and their relatives. They told us that staff were kind and respectful towards them. One person said the staff were great and they treat them very well. Another person said they do what is expected and more. People spoken with did not have any complaints and were happy with the support they received.

We spoke with four staff members and they confirmed that they liked working for All Age Aid. During discussions with staff they were able to describe the tasks they supported people with and how through their approach they showed respect and dignity to them. One person said that we assist the person to do as much as they can for themselves and we are here to help with the things they cannot do. All the staff commented that the staff team was good and that they supported each other. One staff member said that there was enough time for each call and she didn't feel rushed. Staff commented that the manager was very good and they said it was an advantage that the manager worked alongside them sometimes.