Abbots Care Buckinghamshire

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

At the time of the inspection, the location did not provide care or support for anyone with a learning disability or an autistic person who required personal care. However, we assessed the care provision under Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture, as it is registered as a specialist service for this population group.

People told us staff were genuinely caring and provided safe and dignified care. Staff supported people to maintain their independence where possible and involved people in day to day decisions about their care and support.

People's needs were holistically assessed to identify goals and consider what was important to them. People received person-centred care which was responsive to their needs. Staff could speak in detail about people they supported, with knowledge about people's likes, dislikes and preferred routines. People were supported to participate in social and leisure activities in line with their interests. People told us they were in control of their care and that staff respected when they needed space and privacy in their own home.

People were cared for by staff who were suitably inducted, trained and supported. Staff deployment aimed to provide continuity of care, and the service worked to match people with suitable staff, based on factors such as staff skills, experience, personalities and shared interests.

Staff, people and families told us the service was well-managed. The service was supported by an established provider with a clearly defined quality management system in place to ensure the service identified and acted on areas for continuous improvement and learning.

We found safe care and treatment was provided. People were safeguarded from risks of abuse and risks of infection. We found staff had a good understanding of risks, however risk management records lacked sufficient detail and we have made a recommendation about this. We also identified additional detail was required in relation to medicines records and the service was responsive to our feedback.

Staff were safely recruited and there was a focus on recruiting staff with the right values to deliver person- centred care. The provider also focused on maintaining safe staffing levels, including through the provision of staff support and recognition schemes to maximise staff retention.

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 did not consistently evidence how people's mental capacity to initially consent to the service was assessed, and we have made a recommendation.