Aspire Care Support Services Ltd

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 supported this practice.

People felt safe. Staff had received appropriate training and had the right skills to provide care safely and effectively. We were told by one person "I feel the care is safe. I like the consistency and reliability." The provider had systems in place to ensure people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm.

Staff supported people to take medicines safely. Staff were trained in medicines management and knew how to ensure that people received their medicines on time, and as prescribed. Accidents and incidents were recorded and reviewed in order to minimise the risk of reoccurrence. There was a complaints procedure in place, which people's relatives were aware of, and quality assurance processes such as spot checks, were used to drive improvements.

Safe recruitment practices were followed, and appropriate checks completed to ensure that only suitable staff were employed. Staff received an induction and were supported through a programme of regular supervision and training. Staff comments included, "There is always training sessions going on and if we want to progress and put an idea forward that we would like to do, Aspire gets the training booked," and "I have worked with Aspire for two years and they always push the staff to want to better themselves by allowing them to do courses to improve qualifications."

People, relatives and health and social care professionals spoke positively about the service provided. People received personalised care responsive to their individual needs. Staff had a good understanding of the care and support people needed and provided this with kindness, care and compassion, whilst respecting their privacy and dignity.

People were involved in deciding what support they needed. Close working partnerships with other agencies and health and social care professionals had been formed. A social care professional told us "They [Aspire Care Support Services Ltd] are very approachable, willing to work and engage with us, they always attend the Domiciliary Care forums, no issues at all in terms of engagement / feedback."

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