Alcester Home Care Agency Ltd

People were supported to be safe. Staff supported people to manage risks to their safety, health and wellbeing. While most people’s care plan information was detailed and person-centred, some care plans and risk management plans lacked clarity in some areas, which we raised with the provider. The provider assured us they would act promptly to address this.

People’s care records included personalised information from a range of sources, including the person, their relatives and guidance from other professionals involved in their care, such as district nurses. The provider told us the staff team worked well together and were committed to providing good standards of care. People were supported to transition into the service safely. The provider’s processes assessed people’s needs before they used the service. Further reviews made sure, people’s needs continued to be met once the care package was underway. Pre-admission assessments were overseen by senior staff who ensured they provided effective guidance for staff to follow.

People's rights were respected, and they were involved in decisions about their care and important events. Where people could not give their consent, the provider ensured proper legal authority had been sought. People’s care information was written in a compassionate and dignified way, recognising people as individuals. People were encouraged to be independent or to receive support from family members, before staff intervention was required, giving people control of their choices.

Staff were recruited safely through thorough checks of their suitability. Staff told us they received training that helped them to undertake their roles. The provider assessed staff’s competency to administer medicines to ensure people received them safely. We found some shortfall in staff knowledge and how they recorded certain medicines when they administered them. The registered manager took action to improve this.

Recent management appointments and changes to the staff team had begun to improve the culture at the service. The provider and staff shared a clear value-based positive culture and recognised the recent changes with staff personnel was necessary. The provider recognised they had a strong team that wanted to provide good care outcomes for people. However, people and relatives were disappointed because they did not feel involved or informed about this change and how this impacted on them. Following our visit, the provider implemented additional steps to ensure this did not happen again. The provider valued their staff team and was considering ways to ensure the staff team remained consistent. The provider had systems and processes to tell them about aspects of the services’ performance. Whilst there were systems in place, the provider needed to consider the frequency and robustness of those checks to demonstrate how improvement actions were made and how they were being monitored to ensure they were embedded into day-to-day practice.