Ashley Care

Statement of Purpose

Here at Ashley Care, we have been providing care in the community for over 30 years, and are one of Southend’s longest serving social care providers. Founded in 1987, we remain a family-run home care company with a strong family ethos. In the photo above, one of our amazing team members is celebrating the 100th birthday of a lady we care for. We consider it a privilege to serve our clients with respect, compassion and dignity, and this core belief is at the heart of the company.

Ashley Care, 33 Clarence Street, Southend on Sea, Essex, SS1 1BH

Registered in England No.

Regulated by The Care Quality Commission

CQC Service Provider: ID 1-2337481617

CQC Location ID: 1-2430518179

 

Index

 

  1. Summary of Ashley Care

Company Aims

Objectives

Philosophy of the Service

  1. Complaints and Feedback

The nature and type of services provided

  1. Personal Care

Basic tasks

Specialist tasks        

  1. Additional Services

Staffing and Training

Virtual Reality Dementia Training

  1. Quality and governance

Ashley Care’s Management Team

  1. Social Media

Summary of Ashley Care

Ashley Care is the trading name of Ashley Community Care Services Limited. Ashley Care was formed in 1987 and the Company’s House registration number is 9782291.

Ashley Care is based in Southend, Essex. The three-storey premises include a main reception; a training room, a 10 seated conference room with internet access. Our Training room includes a profiling bed, electric standing hoist, commodes, manual  hoists and mobility equipment. This enables our training to show and demonstrate and test in a safe environment staff moving skills and techniques along with other face to face mandatory training. The premises are protected by security main entrance and CCTV and a monitored alarm system.  We have an audit and medication private office to store medication and documentation audits. We also have a finance, invoice, and human resources processing room where private information is kept. We have one storage room and a further office use for PPE and uniforms etc.

Company Aims

To enable Clients who use our services to remain living independently within their own homes for as long as is practically possible. Ashley Care achieves this by providing care that: takes into account the person’s quality of life and personal choices; meets the fundamental standards and regulations as stated in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities )Regulations 2014. Ashley Cares aim is for the service to be safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. The expectation is that all our staff will provide person centred care to ensure that the dignity and privacy of each individual is maintained at all times. We assist our clients, who because of increasing age or disability, may be finding it difficult to cope with domestic responsibilities and / or personal care. We aim to provide a well-led, person centred, comprehensive, personal domiciliary care service which will hopefully enhance the quality of life for people in their own home.

Clients are either referred to Ashley Care by Southend Social Services Department, the Clinical Commissioning Group, Southend University Hospital Foundation Trust, or individuals can refer themselves direct if they are paying for their own care.  We operate within the Southend Borough Council boundaries only.

Objectives 

We are registered to provide personal care in a domiciliary care setting.

We ensure that all clients and their families who use Ashley Care, are fully involved in their initial assessment and the drawing up of the resulting care plan and any associated risk assessments.  Clients are fully involved in the review of their care plan to ensure that quality standards and there changing needs are being met. We aim to deliver person centred care that is always tailored to meet individual client needs and preferences.

It is important to us that the Client in receipt of care gives consent to that care, and this includes consent to receiving any support or assistance with medication. If there is any doubt as to a client’s capacity to consent, a clearly defined procedure is followed to make sure that their legal rights are not infringed. Any support or assistance required with medication will be provided in accordance with the needs identified during the assessment process and the drawing up of the care plan.

Philosophy of the Service

  1. Ensure we meet the dietary and nutritional needs of clients in receipt of our services, and where clients require assistance in eating and drinking this will be given by staff in an appropriate and sensitive manner.
  2. To encourage clients or their representatives to participate as fully as possible in formulating their care plans and to provide access to personal files.
  3. To enable and support clients to retain their independence of thought and activity.
  4. To meet the client’s physical, emotional needs and overall well-being in a dignified non-judgmental way.
  5. To recognise the client’s diversity ensuring religious, cultural, racial and gender identities are respected and to request clients and their carers respect the rights of staff to the same non-discriminatory approach.
  6. To ensure that the forms of communication, language and address used are suitable for the needs of the client.
  7. To ensure that the client is always treated with dignity and respect and that they are safeguarded from the risk of abuse.
  8. To ensure that all information received in the course of carrying out our duties is treated with the utmost confidentiality and is not passed to any unauthorised persons. Records will be accurate and fit for purpose.
  9. To be respectful of the client’s personal privacy and space.
  10. To ensure that all health and safety procedures are followed at all times.
  11. To ensure that the quality of the service provided is of the highest standards possible and to use appropriate methods to achieve this.
  12. To ensure clients are provided with information concerning the services provided, and any changes to those services which may affect their well-being.
  13.  Where services have been commissioned through either a local authority or the NHS, services will be provided in accordance with the commissioned service and care plan.
  1. As far as is possible we will endeavour to provide regular care workers to work with individual service users and where this is not possible will inform the individual where possible of any changes to the care team or to the care plan.
  2. At each visit the care worker is required to record via the electronic monitoring system the care given and the condition of the individual. This record should be written in conjunction with the person using the service so that it is an accurate record of the care being provided at that visit.  This record will be used to inform periodic reviews of the service being provided to the individual and will be used to ensure both outcomes and quality standards are met.

Complaints and Feedback

We carry out regular satisfaction“ Voice of lived experience”  surveys of people using our service and use the results as an opportunity for learning and to improve the services Ashley Care provides.   The “Voice of lived experience” surveys are carried out in person or by telephone.

Ashley Care have introduced a new phone club whereby staff members will be rotated to call clients who want to have a friendly voice to speak to throughout the day. This will benefit our service users by having that additional help and support in between their care calls. We realize that the day can be long and lonely.  This support will be an added benefit to those who have little or no family.

Ashley care have a robust complaints policy and procedure. All complaints received are treated sensitively allowing the complainant to express their concerns without prejudice. Every complaint will be taken seriously and fully investigated in an honest, open, and transparent way that builds trust with clients and their family members. Ashley care wants Clients who use the service, their family, friends, and other carers feel confident that if they complain, they will be taken seriously and treated compassionately.  Ashley care ensure that there are no reprisals from making a complaint and are always dealt with in an in an open and transparent way.

Nature and types of services provided.

Ashley Care was established to offer the highest standards of personal care, reliability, and friendly service to clients, in all age groups over 18, mainly the elderly who are living in their own homes and require a little extra help and support.
Our registration with the Care Quality Commission enables us to provide certain care under the following regulated activities as defined in the Health and Social Care Act 2008:

Personal care

Our services are provided to clients in the following groups:

  1. Frail and vulnerable adults
  2. People with dementia
  3. Mental health problems
  4. Physical disabilities
  5. Sensory impairment
  6. Illness (including end of life care)
  7. Adults who are recovering from illness
  8. Adults with Learning Difficulties (excluding those assessed with specific challenging behaviour)

Basic tasks

  1. Personal care (such as help getting up and assisting to bed, personal hygiene).
  2. Preparing light snacks and meals.
  3. General help (such as shopping, housework, running errands etc.)
  4. Sitter services
  5. Devise and deliver total Care Packages
  6. Continence care and shin care & pressure care
  7. Exercise programs under the instruction of a physiotherapist or occupational therapist.
  8. Supporting clients with daily living tasks.
  9. Signposting and assistance with the personalisation agenda, “individual budgets” etc.

Specialist tasks

From time-to-time care workers may be asked to undertake some tasks, which may be considered to be specialist.  These tasks may be undertaken following appropriate risk assessments and only after specific training.  The care worker will be trained in the procedure before undertaking the tasks with the person with care needs by a trainer with a relevant qualification, e.g. occupational therapist, speech therapist, or nurse.

Such tasks may include:

  1. Assisting with artificial feeding
  2. Changing sterile dressings
  3. Catheter care – changing bags, monitoring output
  4. Tracheotomy care – oral suctioning
  5. Assistance with eye or ear drops
  6. Ileostomy and colostomy care – changing of bags

Care workers will not undertake tasks that require the skills and expertise of clinical professionals.  Such tasks include:

  1. Toenail cutting
  2. Ear syringing
  3. Removing or replacing urinary catheters
  4. Bowel evacuations
  5. Bladder washouts
  6. Injections – involving assembling syringes, administering intravenously, controlled drugs
  7. Filling of oxygen cylinders
  8. Lifting from the floor unaided
  9. Tracheotomy care – changing tubes

Ashley Care does not provide nursing care services other than those already referred to.

Additional services

A ‘Night sitting’ service is available outside of normal working hours of operation. Normal provision of 10.00pm-7.00am. Also a Reablement Service, a Home Again Service, a Carers Emergency Respite Service, and a Telecare Emergency Response 24hrs per day service.

Staffing & Training

Ashley Care places an importance on employing staff that are fit for the job, have appropriate qualifications, skills, and experience to ensure the health and welfare needs of our clients are met. New staff members are required to have a full value-based interview, a full and satisfactory DBS check, together with satisfactory references and may only commence employment when this has all been received. Ashley Care also ensures that all staff are properly trained and have a robust supervision, mentoring and monitoring and give staff regular appraisals to ensure we promote the care standards within Ashley Care’s ethos.

Virtual Reality Dementia Training

The social care sector suffers from the challenges of high staff turnover and vacancies. This epidemic within the sector has put care providers and the people needing care in strenuous conditions stretched further amidst the pandemic. Time is thus of the essence to increase national recruitment in the social care sector and to bolster the education system to support this resilient workforce.
Co-curated with Professor Claire Surr, and Director Charles Cross, MOONHUB have launched the world’s first VR Dementia Care training, aimed at molding, and empowering the social care workforce. The VR training program consists of five scenarios shot in a 360-degree video environment, immersing the learners in life-like, day-to-day interactions between a caregiver and a dementia patient.

This industry first Virtual Reality training program for Social Care focuses on care delivery and the improvement of soft skills. The idea was born out of Charles’ frustrations running a Social Care service and not being able to adequately upskill and invest in our team with the current e-learning products on the market. Due to COVID, financial pressures, and logistical/operational challenges face to face training has become increasingly unviable.

Ashley Care also has a comprehensive mentoring program for all new members of the care team. Ashley Care ensures that within the first month all new members of the team have a member of Management, the head of training or a Care Coordinator mentor them throughout a round. We encourage all staff to enrol on our self-development programme training to QCF / NVQ II/III standard or equivalent.

Quality and Governance

The service is audited and evaluated against the Health & Social Care Act 2008 and outcomes monitored by the Care Quality Commission. Ashley Care is also required to keep the regulator informed of the services that it is providing.

Ashley Care monitors our visits on a regular basis to ensure the service continues to provide safe and appropriate care and support that meets both our client’s needs and protects their rights. Ashley Care will identify and manage risks to both clients and staff and will seek professional safety advice when required. All clients and their carers are asked to complete a half- yearly user satisfaction survey which together with advisory reports and information from the Care Quality Commission will be taken into account in order to continually improve the  service. Ashley Care works in accordance with CQC’s Essential Standards of Quality and Safety guidelines.

Ashley Care will supply every person that we care for and those in our team with a copy of the organisation’s ‘Safeguarding Policy’. Safety and protection is our first priority. We recognise that service users must be safeguarded from all forms of abuse wherever and however it might occur. This may be from within the family, others or from abusive behaviour on the part of the agency’s staff. It is a priority to prevent abuse, to deal with it promptly and effectively and to stop it from reoccurring. All of our care team are aware of the policy and the instructions within the specific procedures for preventing, observing, and reporting suspicions or signs of abuse. In reporting possible abuse, staff are made fully aware of our ‘Whistle Blowing Policy’. Ashley Care recognises that the safety of the people using our service is always our paramount concern. All clients and stakeholders are made aware of Ashley Care’s determination to take action when abuse is identified.

Ashley Care has recently invested in becoming a technologically enabled Homecare provider. Through Access CarePlanning, People Planner and Early Pay Ashley Care has a multi-pronged tech approach to support those we care for and our care team. Ashley Care now uses a cloud-based software which allows for real-time analysis of care visits medication and care plans. In addition, all compliance tasks are generated and monitored automatically. Early Pay supports Ashley Care’s care team to take up to 35% of the wages they have earnt at any time. 

Ashley Cares Management Team

Ashley Care is overseen by Kerry Mearis as a Registered Manager with 21 years’ experience in the care sector and having achieved NVQ level 5 in Health and Social Care. Kerry overseas the day to day running of the business to ensure that Ashley Care supports the rights of our service users to live the life they choose, as far as they are able. Kerry’s role includes managing all aspects of the team to ensure they are clear about their duties and responsibilities, and have the support they need to carry out their roles safely.

Ashley Care’s Nominated Individual Kristina Bateman is a previous qualified social worker and has over 20 years’ experience in Social Care.

Charles Cross is Ashley Care’s Chief Operating Officer. After completing a BSc in Economics degree at Nottingham University, he travelled to Uganda to help support some of the more deprived communities by helping construct school play-ground facilities. After gaining the necessary sponsorship to fund his charitable journey he finds this has motivated him to do more to help people live better lives. He is key to our HR support working as our point of contact with Peninsula who are the largest HR support provide in Europe.  He is directly advised by senior employment law which enables Charles to tap into the latest methods being used within the recruitment industry and gives Ashley Care the advantage of unlimited up to date employment knowledge.  Charles has won the 2021 Care Innovator Award from Home Care Insight and the 2022 Young Trailblazer Award.

Fiona Hogg is Operations Manager of Ashley Care. Fiona is an outstanding Registered Manager with 22 years of experience in Health & Adult Social Care. She has previously worked in a various role, from Community Support Facilitator, Inclusion Worker, Service Lead, Locality Coordinator, Operations Manager and Area Business Manager/Registered Manager for Essex Cares Limited who she was with for over 20 years. She has a proven track record for developing services and teams and was recognised for this when her service was awarded an overall ‘Outstanding’ by CQC. In her role as Area Business Manager/Registered Manager of Southeast Essex Fiona oversaw the smooth running of 4 well-being hubs for Adults Learning Disabilities and Complex Needs and for ECL’s Southeast Reablement service. She was the Line manage of 9 local business managers, and was responsible for setting and overseeing budgets, staff recruitment, maintaining training compliance, growing, and developing services and attended regular meetings with Commissioners and Partners in Health and Social Care. In 2019 Fiona and her service were awarded by ECC the Outstanding Achievement Award.

Rosie Collier is Ashley Care’s Workforce and Community Lead. Rosie is the first point of contact for all new applicants interested in a career pathway with Ashley Care, and she supports them through the whole onboarding process which includes DBS checks, training, shadowing, and induction. Rosie also runs Ashley Care’s International Recruitment and supports staff with their sponsorship process. Rosie’s role also includes working on projects to engage Ashley Care and our service users with our local community, by partnering with local schools, colleges, businesses, and charities.

Social Media

Ashley Care uses Facebook to promote our compliments, reviews, good news stories, and community work. Some recent examples on our Facebook plage include:

We’d love to share these photos of Emma and Mrs Shutts who recently went to see Strictly Live! Thank you so much to our amazing team member Emma for attending the event with Mrs Shutts and making this incredible trip possible

Comments include:

“How wonderful. Emma you’re amazing! Looks as though Gail had the best day ever”.

“Thanks so much Emma for taking mum. You guys have been an amazing support for me and my mum”.

“Love this Emma. This is what caring is all about, making a difference. You have done so many exceptional things for all our lovely customers”.

 

We have received yet another huge compliment from a recent SEDS service user! We are so lucky to have such professional, dedicated and caring team members. Thank you again to everyone on our SEDS team, as well as Kristina who manages this service so effectively.

Comments include:

“So nice to receive compliments like this. Well done to you all, what an amazing job all our carers do”.

“This is so lovely to read , amazing human beings”.

We have recently received this amazing email from one of our team members! Thank you so much for the incredible feedback

Comments include:

“Jordan and Sarah deserve this recognition both wonderful ladies. What a lovely review”.

“Happy to be a member of such a lovely helpful and caring team”

Thank you to Southend Adult Community College for inviting us to your careers event!

We had a great day and it was lovely meeting so many students.