Alina Homecare - North Bristol

Updated 5 November 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

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 houses, flats or specialist housing.

The service had a manager who was registering with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service a short period of notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the manager or provider would be in the office to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 13 September 2021 and ended on 20 September 2021. We visited the office location on 13 September 2021.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we looked at key information we held about the service. This included the Provider's Information Return (PIR). The PIR contains information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well and any improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed notifications which had been sent to CQC. Notifications describe events that happen at the service which the provider is legally required to tell us about. This information helps to support our inspections.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service. We received feedback from five people’s relatives and eight members of staff, including the manager, co-ordinator and nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also received feedback from another professional who worked with the service. Their comments have been incorporated into this report.

We looked at four people’s care records and reviewed medicines records and additional information on the electronic records system. We reviewed a range of records relating to the management of the service. For example, incident records, audits, policies and staff records.

Updated 5 November 2021

About the service

Alina Homecare North Bristol is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. The service can support adults of all ages with a range of needs including those resulting from age-related frailty, physical disabilities and people living with dementia. At the time our inspection, the service supported 21 people.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

People and their relatives told us they felt safe when being supported by Alina Homecare North Bristol staff. The provider had systems in place to protect people from the risk of harm or abuse and staff received training and supervision to ensure they had the skills and knowledge required to support people safely. Risk assessments were recorded and regularly reviewed to ensure people were safe.

From the evidence we saw, there were enough staff employed to meet people’s needs. The manager was clear that they would not take on new packages of care if they did not have the staff or skills needed to provide safe and high quality support. We received varied feedback about staffing levels from the staff we spoke to. Some staff felt they had to be very flexible or work extra hours to ensure people received the support they needed. There were national challenges to social care recruitment at the time of our inspection. The provider was actively trying to recruit more staff and incentives were in place to retain existing staff.

The provider had managed risks effectively during the recent coronavirus pandemic. Staff received training and updates about infection prevention and control and used personal protective equipment effectively. We were assured that people were protected by the prevention and control of infection.

People were involved in making decisions about their care and were treated with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. People's needs were assessed thoroughly to identify how their care and support should be provided. Care was personalised to meet people’s individual needs and preferences. Staff knew about people’s preferences and encouraged them to make choices where possible. Regular reviews of plans ensured the support provided continued to meet people’s wishes and needs.

The service worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act. People's rights were protected because staff and the management team had a good understanding of the MCA and its practical applications.

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.

The manager worked in partnership with other organisations to make sure staff followed current practice and people received the right care and treatment when they needed it.

The service was well-led, and staff were committed to providing support to people to enhance their quality of life. We received positive feedback about the care people received from Alina Homecare North Bristol. Staff surveys and feedback demonstrated staff had high levels of job satisfaction overall.

The manager was clear about the responsibilities of their role. They were open and honest and had regular communication with people, their families and other stakeholders.

The provider’s governance framework ensured responsibilities were clear and quality performance, risks and regulatory requirements were understood and managed. Regular audits and monitoring supported the prompt identification of any concerns and actions were taken to drive improvement where necessary.

There had not been any formal complaints received in the previous 12 months, but when people raised informal queries, these were dealt with promptly and changes made where necessary or possible. The service was committed to driving improvement and learning from incidents and accidents. The service had received many compliments, and these were shared with staff to support learning and continual development.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 27 May 2020 and this was the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection to check whether the provider was meeting legal requirements and regulations, and to provide a rating for the service as directed by the Care Act 2014.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.