Archived: Alexandra Care - Aldershot

People who used the service or others acting on their behalf who paid the provider for the services they received, knew how much they were expected to pay and understood their obligations and responsibilities.

People told us that on most occasions they were cared for by the same members of staff. One person said 'Oh yes I have the same staff every day during the week, but at the weekends I have different staff. People told us staff were very rarely late for a call. One person told us 'I could set my clock by X's visits.' Another person told us 'If staff were going to be delayed we would be informed by office staff.'

People knew senior staff well and received regular visits from them and contact by phone. One person said "X turns up frequently to help the girls out." People were able to feed back on the quality of the services provided by staff.

We found that whilst care plans and risk assessments were in place they lacked sufficient detail to ensure staff had the guidance required to ensure people's needs were fully met.

Local authority and health care professionals told us the agency staff were proactive regarding identifying people's changing care needs and involved them as required. They told us people's needs were looked after well.

Staff recruitment practices and procedures were robust and ensured that people were cared for by staff that were fit to do their jobs.

One person told us "I have been having care from the agency for a long time and I have never had to complain". Another person told us if they had any concerns they would "contact the office staff" Relatives spoken with told us that that on occasions where they had minor concerns, they discussed them with staff and they were dealt with immediately.