Ashrey Care

People's experience of using this service:

Relatives told us they were satisfied with the level of care and services provided to people and spoke positively about care support staff and management. They said they were confident that people were treated with respect and dignity and were safe when cared for by care support staff.

Systems were in place to help ensure people were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff records indicated that staff had received safeguarding training. Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns or allegations of abuse. Risks to people had been assessed, updated and regularly reviewed to ensure people were safe and risks to people in relation to treatment or care were minimised.

The registered manager confirmed the service did not currently administer medicines to people. We therefore did not look at how the service managed medicines during this inspection.

People were protected from the risks associated with poor infection control because the service had processes in place to reduce the risk of infection and cross contamination.

Feedback from relatives indicated that staff were punctual and there were no issues in relation to this. There was evidence that people received care from the same staff and there was consistency in the level of care they received.

The registered manager and care support staff had the necessary knowledge and skills they needed to carry out their roles and responsibilities. Staff had received induction to the agency as well as training to ensure they had skills to support people. Staff received supervision and appraisals of their skills from the management team to help them to support people effectively.

Feedback from relatives indicated that positive relationships had developed between people using the service and staff. Relatives told us that staff had a good understanding of and were aware of the importance of treating people with respect and dignity and always did this. The registered manager and care support staff were aware of the importance of ensuring people were given a choice and promoting their independence.

People who used service received care that was responsive to their needs and their daily routines were

reflected in their care plan. Care plans included information about people's interests and preferences and staff knew people's needs well. People had individualised care plans which had sufficient information about people and how to support them.

The service had clear procedures for receiving, handling and responding to comments and complaints. Relatives told us they did not have any complaints about the service but knew what to do if they needed to raise a complaint or concern. They told us that the registered manager was approachable and they would not hesitate to raise concerns directly with her.

The registered manager held regular meetings with the care support staff. Care support staff told us they received up to date information and had an opportunity to share good practice and any concerns they had at these meetings. They spoke positively about communication within the service.

Systems were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service. We found the service had obtained feedback about the quality of the service through a satisfaction survey. The service also undertook checks and audits of the quality of the service.