Ancora Care Limited | Care in Kent | Community Care in Kent | Support For Adults With Learning Disabilities

This document summarises information about the company for our service users, their families, friends, advocates, formal and informal carers and other representatives of our service users.

Aims and Objectives

The aim of the organisation is to provide domiciliary care services, supporting service users with day-to-day tasks that through incapacity or illness can no longer be performed safely or independently.

We believe everyone should be able to maximise their quality of life and do so from the comfortable surroundings of their own home, should they wish. Our business will seek compassionate and caring staff to ensure each of our care users is provided with the care and support they deserve.

We aim to:

• Deliver high quality person-centred care to all our service users.
• Remain professional but always caring.
• Be forward thinking and innovative.

We will:

• Raise standards within the sector.
• Provide equal opportunities and be an employer of inclusion.
• Promote dignity and respect, and fair rewards.
• Aim for financial viability.
• Have measurable quality outcomes.
• Have a culture that embeds our values and behaviours to aim high, with our service users and staff.
• Be agile and resilient whatever obstacles we may face.

Our Mission:

We enthusiastically work to make a visible and measurable difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and the elderly through the provision of person centred, tailored support.

Our Values:

Our core values will underpin the ethos, direction, and behaviour of the business as we develop our service offering. All strategic and operational decision making will be guided by our values to ensure that we conduct business within our ethical and moral framework. A summary of our key principles is noted below, this may be subject to further refinement or added to in the near future as our business and service provision matures.

• Putting People First
• Being Supportive
• Acting with Integrity
• Striving for Excellence
• Being Positive
• Focus on Safety

Above all Ancora Care Limited will ensure it is:

Safe

Ensuring CQC guidance is followed on Safeguarding, notifications, and complaints.
Seek feedback from the people who use the service, their families, Healthwatch (Rate and Review), and the local Safeguarding Authority.
Undertake observation of practice in a sensitive way.
Ensure staff are trained in safeguarding procedures.
Ensure records are kept on all activities and conduct regular audits.
Manage risks effectively through risk assessments and via the care plan.
Ensure safe practice runs through all policies and procedures.
Ensure equipment used is properly maintained.
Ensure staffing levels are always adequate.
Recruit care workers that are capable of meeting the needs of the service users we support through assessment-based processes.
Undertake appropriate background checks: DBS, references, employment history.
Quickly identify if care worker performance drops below the standard required and be decisive with taking corrective action.
Record and review comments about the service and listen to ideas on where improvement can be made in terms of safe working practices.
Monitor national incidents (MDA/MHRA) to ensure any evidence is implemented locally.
The medicines management policy and ensure care workers are trained to administer and record their actions.
Ensure effective management of infection control and prevention through our established policies and procedures which includes observing practice.
All information relating to the people we support, and our carers is treated with the strictest of confidence and access to this information is limited to people on a need-to-know basis.

Caring

Ensuring carers provide support with kindness, dignity, respect, compassion, respecting the choices and decisions of the people they support. We ensure people are cared for in this way through the quality assurance assessments undertaken by the registered manager.
Our induction, training and monitoring will ensure that throughout our practice service user's needs are respected regardless of their age, disability, gender, gender identity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation.
Ensuring the care plan is a living document. We aim to develop the plan over the initial few weeks, to ensure all the requirements are fully documented and understood. We will have a link worker for each person we support who will be responsible for ensuring the information about the person is recorded accurately and that their wishes are truly respected.
When we recruit people to our service, we will aim to select a diverse group of carers, so that we increase the opportunity to match individuals well and will make the link carer responsible to ensure the person receives support from a consistent team of carers who are fully aware of their needs.
The registered manager will be undertaking regular observation reviews of care delivered to ensure that our carers are providing support in a meaningful way and avoiding a task-led approach but instead are always person-centred.
Care planning will always involve the service user concerned. If there is a reason this isn't possible, then we would look to working with the close circle of support such as advocates, GPs, social workers, and family.
Train our care workers in maintaining confidentiality in line with our confidentiality policy.

Effective

Training all care workers to have the right skills and knowledge.
Creating 'one-page profiles' for all our care workers and people we support, so there is a high degree of compatibility between both parties.
Providing all care workers regular support, induction, supervision, appraisals, and training
Seeking the views of our care workers, the people we support, family members and other professional stake holders.
Undertake observation and supervision to ensure good practice and service is being provided.
Ensure all staff have a full induction and practical training prior to commencement of duties on their own. All training will be in line with the Care Certificate and care workers signed off as competent to care.
All care workers given the opportunity to develop their skills.
Auditing carer files to ensure all checks have been completed.
Audit files of the people we support to include daily records and MAR charts kept in the person's home. This information will be collated and where performance is below standard, an action plan will be put in to place.
All care staff will be given training on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 so that they are fully aware of the requirements under this act. Where we have clients who lack capacity, our care workers will be trained to follow legal requirements in making any best interest decisions. Where challenging behaviour is present with any of the people we support, training and guidance will be provided to enable our care workers to manage the potential risk in a safe way for all concerned. Our staff will confirm consent for all interventions.
All people who seek support from our service will be given information about the service and what can be provided. Prior to a service starting, people will be invited to confirm that they are in agreement and sign to consent to the service. Where capacity is lacking, then consent will be obtained from the legal guardian/Court of Protection and Power of attorney.
Ensure that we include an assessment on ensuring people have enough to eat and drink and that this is done in a safe way. Where there are risks, for example with swallowing, specialist advice would be sought.

Responsive

Including everyone we support in developing their own person-centred plan and risk assessment. This will be developed over a period to ensure we have captured the persons requirements and needs fully.
We firmly believe that by asking the right type of questions we can develop a greater understanding of what a service user wants to do for themselves and where they need a bit more support.
As part of our care planning, we will aim to develop a growing understanding of the service user's interests and aspirations and where possible link up with the Community that is important to them for additional support and advice to avoid social isolation.
The registered manager will be responsible for undertaking quality assurance checks on a regular basis to observe that a service user's needs are being met.
We will ensure no service user; staff member or family is discriminated against.
We will ensure a care plan and risk assessment are available at the start of the service which is endorsed by multi agency partners and Commissioners. However, this would be amended as the needs of the service user become more evident when supporting them and escalated through the Care Co-Ordinator to the Commissioner. This amendment would be sought in agreement with the service user and their circle of support.
All the service users we support will be provided with information about the service. This will include information about what to do if they are unhappy or have a safeguarding concern. We have a complaints and safeguarding policy which we will follow, and a full investigation will take place and a reply given to an individual within a specific time.

Well Led

Our service will be led by a registered manager who will ensure that small teams of care workers are developed to support service users in an area. Each member of the team will have the responsibility for ensuring the team acts in a person-centred way and is open, inclusive, and empowering.
Each service user we support will have a link worker who will be responsible for setting up and regularly reviewing a service user care plan and risk assessment. The link worker will ensure the care provided to this service user is of a consistent, high-quality nature.
Our registered manager's primary role is to act as a coach to the care team and empower them to resolve issues for themselves with the service users they support if needed.
We will continue to develop our service in line with benefiting our community in which we work.
Our vision and values include involvement, compassion, dignity, independence, respect, equality, and safety. These values will be shared with all our employees and used during recruitment, supervision, and appraisal. The registered manager will also undertake observational supervision to ensure the attitudes, values and behaviour of carers are in line with that of the company. Where this is not observed additional support will be provided.
By operating in small groups/teams, the opportunity for being involved in the development of the service is high. As teams operate in a self-managing way with support from the registered manager, new and innovative approaches are likely to flourish.
The registered manager will take an active role in supporting the teams daily and help them to find solutions to any challenges they face.
The nominated person will conduct regular supervisions with the management team to ensure all conditions of the registration are met satisfactorily.
The registered manager will undertake regular quality assurance checks to ensure quality is continuously improved. Ongoing regular reviews will be undertaken to ensure we have data about service quality and improvements. This information will be collated and aggregated to ensure any trends are monitored and actioned if needed.
Our focus will always be maximising the health and well-being of our service users and doing everything we can to help them maintain and grow their personal freedoms and engagement with people and communities in which they live.
We also aim to provide enriching and rewarding work opportunities to our team of carefully selected healthcare workers.
We will also focus on developing a culture of openness, transparency, respect and personal responsibility. It is our aim for everyone to be united behind a vision to establish an exceptional care service that we can all be proud of.
Monthly care package reviews are carried out by the Registered manager to review risk, compliments, and complaints together with staff levels, skill mix and staff attendance. Monitoring safety through a range of evidence with the need and expectation of all parties involved will ensure multi-disciplinary care planning and client-centred delivery.

Governance & Quality Assurance

The company's service will be audited and evaluated against the Health & Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 and associated outcomes by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The business is also required to keep the regulator informed of the services it is providing.

To continually deliver a high quality of service, the Registered Manager will seek to carry out a number of internal audits to monitor the baseline performance across a number of measurables. The checks will be scheduled at monthly intervals where time and human resource allows.
These audits will not only serve as self-accountability for the business but also ensure the business is operating at its highest level and is ready to receive any CQC inspections. Audits included in the businesses Quality Assurance process include, but are not limited to:

• Care file creation and maintenance.
• Medication delivery and records.
• Complaints received and processed.
• Team meetings to encourage effective dialogue and capture of operational issues, resolution of issues and the general sharing of best practice and continuous improvement.
• Staff performance reviews.
• Finance and budget review.

Additionally, Ancora Care Limited will continually identify and manage risks to both service users and staff and will seek professional safety advice when required. All clients and their carers will be asked to complete an annual user satisfaction survey which together with advisory reports and information from the Care Quality Commission will be considered in order to promote continual service improvement.

Services

Ancora Care Limited exists to provide support and promote independent living to the greatest extent possible to our service users. Our registration with the Care Quality Commission enables us to provide care in the following regulated activity, as defined in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and Care Act 2014:

• Personal Care

The list below identifies the Age Groups and Specialist Service User Bands Ancora Care Limited will provide our services to, as defined by CQC:

• Adults 18-65
• Adults 65+
• Learning difficulties and Autism
• Physical disability

Our services will provide a comprehensive support solution that will be tailored where necessary to best suit the individual needs of each of our service users. The list of activities below represents the key areas of support we will be offering our service users:

• Help with personal hygiene - bathing & showering.
• Assistance with toileting.
• Help with basic domestic chores.
• Accessing leisure and social activities.
• Support with cooking meals.
• Maintaining links with family and friends.
• Establishing new relationships and making new friends.
• Encouraging healthy lifestyles.
• Support in taking medication.
• Help building confidence and self-esteem.

Location

The business will be located in Kent. Support activity will be conducted in service user's own homes with the business operations being run from the business address identified in the company details section.

Management Details & Contact Information

Registered Manager:
Jade Hart

Registered Address:
The Whitewall Centre, Whitewall Road, Rochester, ME2 4DZ

Contact Telephone Numbers:
07908 600 169/01634 553 381

Email:
jade@ancoracare.com

Nominated Individual:
Jade Hart

Contact Address:
The Whitewall Centre, Whitewall Road, Rochester, ME2 4DZ

Contact Telephone Numbers:
07908 600 169/01634 553 381

Email:
jade@ancoracare.com

Staff

Ancora Care Limited has a commitment of care towards all staff and for each member to be recognised as a valuable member of a team with a shared objective of giving the highest possible quality of care. We recognise that for most service users the most important people in our organisation are the care workers with whom service users will have regular contact.

Staff Recruitment

Ancora Care Limited will implement a robust recruitment process to ensure the right quality of care workers join our family. Using our recruitment expertise, we will select individuals who are a good fit for our organisation and our service.
We will also help all applicants make an informed choice about whether Ancora Care Limited is the right place for them. So that we can mutually identify those are a good fit and could progress their careers within our company framework.

We will take the time to clarify our expectations clearly at the start of our relationship with any new worker. A robust induction and training programme will be provided to ensure each employee knows the full duties that fall within their role as well as the ambassadorial duties they inherently adopt on becoming a part of Ancora Care Limited.

Staff Training

Ancora Care Limited will invest both time and resources into a continuous programme of training and improvement for our entire workforce.

All staff undertake regular training which includes a minimum of:
• Safeguarding adults
• Fire Awareness
• Health & Safety
• Moving & Handling
• Food Hygiene awareness
• COSHH
• Infection Control
• First Aid
• Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
• Mental Health Act and DOLS
• Medication awareness
• RIDDOR
• Complaints procedure
• Autism
• Oliver McGowan learning disability
• Dignity in care
• Duty of care
• Fire Safety
• Hand Hygiene
• Learning disability
• Person centred care
• Professional boundaries
• GDPR

Staff Wellbeing & Support

An 'open door' policy will be adopted to give every employee their own voice and allow them every opportunity to communicate any problem areas or performance issues they might be dealing with.

A robust process of appraisals, mini reviews, spot-checks, regular chats and meetings will ensure that all workers have a chance to be heard and are reminded of our core principles and approach to care.

The needs and values of all people, including our workers, are very important. We will proactively develop a culture of mutual respect and responsibility and ensure that all things that make our workers unique are appropriately valued and certainly not discriminated against.

We recognise that our workers are carrying a lot of responsibility. At all times they will have access to support and guidance so that they can make decisions and manage situations effectively and with confidence.

Service User's Privacy & Dignity

Ancora Care Limited places the personal privacy and dignity of our service users as a top priority.
The following guidelines have been identified to enable our service users are provided with the upmost respect.

The business will:

• Ensure that any records of the service provided are only disclosed to those with a legitimate reason to know the information they contain.
• Allow service user's access to their personal records in keeping with current legislation.
• Promote the dignity, privacy and human rights of people that use our service, minimising any feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, and vulnerability which service users may experience.
• Address service users in the manner of their choosing.
• Respect the right of service user's in choosing the gender of their support worker.
• Treat people who use our service with consideration, courtesy, and respect.
• Handle personal information with care, sharing such information with the service user's consent only where necessary.
• Personal information will only be shared with the service user's best interest and personal safety in mind.
• Only enter service user's rooms within their property only with their express consent.
• Respect that all service users' possessions are private and instruct staff in accordance with the principle that they are guests within the service users' home.
• Recognise that service users have a right to conduct confidential conversations without being overheard or observed by a Care/Support Worker.
• Safeguard people that use our services against abuse by identifying risks before they arise and by responding quickly and appropriately to any concerns, in compliance with current legislation.
• Ensure that equipment used in the delivery of our services is fit for purpose, safely operated, and used in a way that promotes dignity and independence.
• Support service users to keep well-nourished and hydrated and supported in the enjoyment of food and drink in a dignified manner.
• Provide service users with respect that reinforces personhood, responding to specific cultural demands and requirements that aim to maintain service user/staff relationships that are trust based but appropriate to the relationship of employee to service user.

Continuity of Care

We understand the importance of providing continuity of care and support as part of delivering a high-quality service.

As a standard, bespoke teams will be allocated to individual service users but there are occasions where it may be necessary to utilise staff outside of the core team to facilitate holidays, sickness, training, and the introduction of new skills required to meet the changing needs of the person being supported.

Where a change of carer is necessary, we will communicate this at earliest opportunity, informing the service user of the replacement to be provided with compatibility being at the forefront of our minds.

We will ensure all our activities are carried out according to company policies and procedures and any member of a care team provided will be adequately briefed, trained and competent to enable them to provide a quality service.

We will undertake regular quality assurance checks to ensure quality is continuously improved. Ongoing regular reviews will be led by the Registered Manager ensuring we have data about service quality and improvements.

This information will be collated and aggregated to ensure any trends are monitored and actioned if needed.

In addition to Leaders and Managers setting exemplary leading a culture of continuous improvement, the care team will be encouraged to regularly seek feedback from clients, colleagues and managers about their work and performance and will value what is said.
We will embed quality assurance through the organisation to ensure continual improvement with the aim of making it everyone's responsibility.

Complaints Procedure

We believe that complaints and compliments are a valuable indicator of the quality of our service, and an opportunity to improve that quality.

We assure the service user that no one will be victimised for making a complaint, we encourage service users to instigate the complaints procedure whenever they feel that it is necessary.

We do not like to confine complaints to major issues. We encourage service users to comment when relatively minor matters are a problem to them, such as receiving cold food, getting kept waiting without explanation or being spoken to in a manner that they do not like.

It is our policy that all matters which disturb or upset our service users should be reported and recorded, with appropriate corrective action being taken.

Only in that way can we work towards meeting our aim of continuously improving our service.

Our commitment is that:

• All complaints should be taken seriously.
• All complaints will be acted upon with fairness and impartiality.
• A response will be provided within 24 hrs of the complaint being made, and a final reply within 28 days.
• If the complaint is upheld, a formal written apology will be issued, and appropriate action will be taken to rectify the complaint. The complainant will be kept informed of what that action is.
• Service Users are entitled to involve an impartial third party in the complaint procedure if they wish.

The service users or their representatives may take their complaints to the persons in authority outside the business if they're not happy with the results they have been given.

Service users funded all/part by Social Services or Clinical Commissioning Group, should address their complaint in the first instance to appropriate organisation. For wholly privately funded service users, a range of advocacy services are available locally and they will be happy to help service users deal with the complaint. In the event of a serious issue or complaint, a service user should contact the CQC directly.