Care company getting better

A South Holland care company has been judged to require improvement by inspectors.

Atlas Care, at Pode Hole, has been rated good for caring and effectiveness by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
But it requires improvement for safety, responsiveness and leadership.

Atlas Care provides services to clients ranging from older people with dementia and those with physical disability.

An inspection in June 2017 resulted in the issuing of two warning notices requiring the company to address breaches of regulation.

But at the most recent inspection the inspector “found the registered provider had taken sufficient action to meet the requirements of the warning notices and were no longer in breach of regulations.”

The inspection, between December 20 and January 4, was announced. On the first day they saw 240 people who were receiving personal care from Atlas.

“They had made improvements to the scheduling of care visits, the organisation of staffing resources and monitoring the quality and effectiveness of service delivery,” says the report.

“However, further work was required to fully embed new processes and ensure sustainability,” it added.

There was also a new manager in post for the latest inspection and there had been positive feedback.

“The manager demonstrated a clear understanding of the responsibilities of being registered with CQC. We found the manager had correctly notified us of significant events,” the inspector noted.

“Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns to keep people safe from harm,” the report says.

Atlas Care still requires improvement for safety as further work is needed to sustain improvements.

The report noted that staff were kind and caring and service-users were supported to have choice and control of their lives.

“People were supported to meet their nutritional needs and staff worked alongside healthcare services where necessary when issues were identified. Medicines were managed in line with good practice guidance and there was evidence of organisational learning from significant events,” the report adds.

The inspector said people who used the service felt safe and knew how to raise any concerns they may have.

“The majority of people told us that they had regular staff members who they knew and only changed when they took leave or sickness. Other people said they were not always aware of which staff were coming to provide their care. No-one we spoke with told us this compromised the quality of care they received,” the report added.