Anchusa Care achieved an overall Good rating (down from Outstanding in 2017), with a retained Outstanding in Caring driven by an exceptional person-centred culture and staff who consistently exceeded expectations. Key areas for improvement include the absence of end-of-life care plans and staff training, and governance gaps around audit coverage, care plan detail, and lack of independent external oversight.
Concerns (4)
moderate
End-of-life care
: “People's end of life EOL wishes were not recorded within an EOL care plan...staff had yet to complete end of life training. We could not be assured staff followed recognised best practise.”
moderateGovernance: “audits did not monitor early calls, and examples were identified where staff were up to an hour early. Care plans required further detail and power of attorney had not been verified for some people.”
minorGovernance: “The provider also operated as the registered manager and had no system in place for external auditing to obtain an independent assessment of the quality of care provided.”
minorRecord keeping: “Care plans required further detail and power of attorney had not been verified for some people.”
Strengths
· Exceptional person-centred caring culture with staff consistently going above and beyond, including attending hospital appointments in their own time and visiting people to prevent isolation.
· Strong continuity of care with consistent staff teams who formed meaningful relationships with people, leading to outstanding outcomes.
· Robust staff induction including a mock home environment, mentorship programme, and specific training for conditions such as Huntington's Disease.
· Effective medicines management with competency checks and significant reduction in recording errors following retraining.
· No missed or late calls reported; staff stayed the full planned length of each visit.
Quality-Statement breakdown (19)
safe: Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuse; Learning lessons when things go wrongGood
safe: Assessing risk, safety monitoring and managementGood
safe: Staffing and recruitmentGood
safe: Using medicines safelyGood
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionGood
effective: Assessing people's needs and choices; delivering care in line with standards, guidance and the lawGood
effective: Staff support: induction, training, skills and experienceGood
effective: Staff working with other agencies; Supporting people to live healthier lives; Supporting people to eat and drink enoughGood
effective: Ensuring consent to care and treatment in line with law and guidanceGood
caring: Ensuring people are well treated and supported; respecting equality and diversityOutstanding
caring: Supporting people to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their care; Respecting and promoting people's privacy, dignity and independenceOutstanding
responsive: Planning personalised care to ensure people have choice and control and to meet their needs and preferencesGood
responsive: Meeting people's communication needsGood
responsive: Improving care quality in response to complaints or concernsGood
responsive: End of life care and supportRequires improvement
well-led: Managers and staff being clear about their roles, and understanding quality performance, risks and regulatory requirementsGood
well-led: Promoting a positive culture that is person-centred, open, inclusive and empoweringGood
well-led: How the provider understands and acts on the duty of candour; Continuous learning and improving careGood