Alpha Health & Social Care Services

Updated 18 November 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 01 November 2022 and ended on 03 November 2022. We visited the location’s office on 01 November 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke one person and three family members about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager, the clinical lead, the care co-ordinator and two care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality monitoring, minutes of meetings, and the staff training and supervision matrix.

Updated 18 November 2022

About the service

Alpha Health & Social Care Services is a domiciliary care service providing the regulated activity personal care which is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating, in people’s own homes. At the time of our inspection there were seven people receiving personal care using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Systems and processes were in place to support people’s safety. People’s needs, including their safety were assessed and monitored. People were supported by staff who had undergone a robust recruitment process. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. People and family members spoke of the reliability of the service. People received the support they required with their medicines. Staff worked consistently within the providers policy and procedure for infection prevention and control.

People’s needs were assessed and kept under review and reflected all aspects of people’s care. People, and family members contributed to the assessment process. People’s health care needs were documented, and staff liaised with health care professionals when required. Staff had the required experience, knowledge and training to meet people’s needs.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People and family members spoke of the kind and caring approach of staff. People and family members said they were involved in decisions about their care, and their views were respected by staff. The registered manager and staff had received compliments as to the quality of the care provided, which included comments about the caring approach of staff.

People and their family members were involved in the development and reviewing of their care and support package, and the care packages were tailored to reflect people’s preferences. People were aware of how to raise a concern. Concerns and complaints were managed in line with the provider’s policy and included the outcome and any lessons learnt.

The providers systems and processes monitored the quality of the service being provided. People’s views and that of family members and staff were sought through surveys, which were analysed and used to identify where improvements were needed. A range of audits were undertaken to monitor the quality of care provided. Staff were supported through ongoing monitoring and good communication, which ensured information was shared in a timely manner to support in the delivery of good quality care.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

This service was registered with us on 23 September 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.