Advanced Home Care Limited

The service is managed from offices in Kirkham, Lancashire. Services are provided to support people to live independently in the community. At the time of our inspection, 147 people used the service.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community and specialist housing.

Not everyone using the service received a 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.

There was a registered manager at the service. 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 service had systems to protect people from abuse or the risk of abuse. Staff had received training to safeguard people and were aware of how to report any concerns.

The service had systems to ensure the safe and proper management of medicines. Staff received training and their competency was assessed before they provided people with support with their medicines.

Robust recruitment processes ensured only suitable candidates were employed by the service. Staff received a comprehensive induction, ongoing training and support in order for them to provide effective care and support to people who used the service.

Staff assessed risks to people and measures were put in place to lessen risks. Accidents and incidents were reported and recorded. These were analysed by the registered manager so lessens could be learned and the risk of repeat occurrences reduced.

No one we spoke with raised any concerns about staffing. We saw the service used an electronic system to organise staff rotas. However, some people we spoke with and staff, told us some changes to rotas were not always communicated effectively. The registered manager confirmed they would address this issue following the inspection.

We found people were supported with nutrition and hydration. Staff carried out thorough assessments to

ensure the service could meet the needs of people. We saw written plans of care were reviewed regularly to ensure they met people's current needs.

People we spoke with and their relatives gave us consistently positive feedback about how the service was delivered and the approach of staff. We observed a good rapport between staff and people they supported. Staff had a good understanding of protecting people's rights and treated each person as a unique individual.

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

People told us they were encouraged to raise any concerns or complaints and felt they would be taken seriously. The service had a complaints policy and we saw complaints had been investigated and responded to appropriately.

We found staff and management were open and honest and spoke of a positive culture within the service. Everyone we spoke with told us there had been improvements to the service since our last inspection. The registered manager was keen to continue to drive improvements.

We saw the registered manager used a range of methods to assess, monitor and improve the service. Regular audits and checks were carried out. Feedback was sought from people who used the service, their relatives and staff. This was used to make improvements in how the service was delivered.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found