Allwell Care Company is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people who live in their own houses or flats. It provides a service to adults. Not everyone using Allwell Care Company receives the regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided.

This service was registered on 13 December 2017. This was their first inspection.

At the time of this announced comprehensive inspection of 7 December 2018, there were 11 people who used the service and received ‘personal care’. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because we wanted to be certain the manager and key staff would be available on the day of our inspection.

A registered manager was not in post. 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 provider had recently appointed a manager to run the service and confirmed their registration application would be submitted to CQC.

The service was in transition, the manager was implementing systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service provided. Where we identified gaps in the recruitment processes and recording of people’s medicines the manager took swift action to address this. They were working closely with social care professionals to implement improvements in the service, such as person-centred care plans, complaints process and audit system. This was a work in progress. Recording, auditing and documentation in these areas had recently been developed. However, these were not yet fully embedded into practice and at the time of the inspection we were unable to assess their effectiveness.

Feedback from people who used the service and their relatives was positive about the approach of the care workers and the service provided. They told us that the care workers were kind and compassionate, promoted people’s independence and respected their privacy and dignity.

Systems were in place to minimise risks to people’s safety, including from abuse and in relation to mobility, nutrition and with accessing the community. Care workers understood their roles and responsibilities in keeping people safe.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and care workers supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Improvements had been made and were ongoing to ensure people’s care records reflected individualised personalised care.

Where care workers had identified concerns in people’s wellbeing there were systems in place to contact health and social care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment. Where required people were safely supported with their dietary needs.

Recruitment checks were carried out with sufficient numbers of care workers employed, to maintain the schedule of visits and provide continuity of care for people. Care workers received supervision and training to support them to perform their role.

People received their medicines as prescribed. Care workers were provided with training in infection control and food hygiene and understood their responsibilities relating to these areas. Systems were in place to reduce the risks of cross infection.

There was a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to voice their concerns if they were unhappy with the care they received. People’s feedback was valued and acted on.