Background to this inspection
Updated
21 December 2018
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector and an expert by experience made telephone calls to people. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
We gave the service five days’ notice of the inspection visit. This was to ensure the registered manager would be available.
Inspection site visit activity started on the 3 and finished on the 10 December 2018. We visited the office location on the 3 and 5 of December 2018. The registered manager and director were available on both dates.
We spoke with the registered manager, the director, one team leader, a senior carer and three care staff. We visited three people in their own homes and made calls to eight people and three relatives to gain their views on the service. Following the inspection, we spoke with one health care professional.
We looked at five people’s care and support records and three staff files. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service such as audits, incident and accident records, recruitment and training records, policies, and complaints.
We reviewed information we had about the service including statutory notifications. Notifications are information about specific events that the service is legally required to send us. Prior to this inspection we asked for a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
Updated
21 December 2018
We undertook an inspection of Alliance Living Care Portishead on the 3, 4, 6 and 10 December 2018.
The inspection was announced, which meant that the registered manager knew we would be visiting. This was to ensure the registered manager or someone who could act on their behalf, would be available to support the inspection.
The service registered to provide a regulated activity with the Care Quality Commission in June 2014. The service was rated requires improvement at the last inspection in September 2017. In Safe and Well-led it was rated requires improvement. At this inspection we found the service had improved to a rating of Good in all domains and overall.
Alliance Living Care – Portishead is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to older people. Not everyone using Alliance Living Care – Portishead receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; for example help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. At the time of our inspection there were 44 people receiving personal care and support from the service.
A registered manager was in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
At our last inspection we found records relating to how people received their medicines needed improving. Audits were also failing to identify shortfalls found. At this inspection we found improvements had been made to audits that were effective however, records relating to cream charts still needed action.
People received their medicines safely and records relating to the recording of tablets had improved.
People received their visits from staff who were kind and helpful. However, at times people’s visits were later than scheduled.
The provider had audits that identified shortfalls relating to people’s medicines. Feedback was sought so improvements could be made to people’s care.
People were supported by staff who had checks in place to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable adults.
Staff received training and supervision and all felt well supported and able to raise any concerns should they need to.
Staff were familiar with people’s needs and care plans were reviewed and personalised.
People felt safe and care plans contained environmental and individual risk assessments.
Staff gave examples of how they gave people choice and staff demonstrated compassion.
People felt able to complain, and when they had problems had been resolved satisfactorily.