During an assessment under our new approach
About the service
Alpha Care Specialists Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. The provider offers personal care, support for people living with age-related conditions, disabilities and ill-health, as well as counselling services and a home-from-hospital service.
At the time of this assessment, the service was supporting 28 people and employed 15 full-time equivalent staff. The service was last inspected in 2019 and achieved an overall rating of Good, with Good ratings across all five key questions.
Who the Service is For
The service provides support to adults living in their own homes who required assistance with personal care and daily living activities due to age-related needs, physical disabilities, long-term health conditions or cognitive impairment. The provider had expertise in supporting people from the Greek and Greek Cypriot communities and aimed to provide culturally sensitive care that reflected people's language, traditions, beliefs and preferences. Services were also available to people from other cultural backgrounds who required support to remain safe, independent and well within their own homes.
Key Findings
We carried out this assessment on 17 September 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remained accurate. The assessment found evidence that people received safe, effective and person-centred care from a stable and well-supported staff team. Staff described a positive working culture and spoke highly of the management team. They reported receiving regular one-to-one meetings and formal supervision sessions every 3 months. Staff confirmed they had completed mandatory training, including safeguarding, health and safety, infection prevention and control, and medicines administration training within the previous six months.
Training records showed that staff actively participated in ongoing learning and development. The registered manager held weekly meetings, enabling staff to discuss people's changing needs, care arrangements and identified risks. Staff stated these meetings were beneficial in ensuring consistent communication and care delivery.
Recruitment processes were found to be robust. Staff recruitment files contained enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, which included details of any convictions or cautions held on the Police National Computer. Satisfactory references and evidence of previous employment histories were noted. This provided assurance that appropriate pre-employment checks had been completed.
Staffing rotas demonstrated people were generally supported by regular care workers who knew them well, promoting continuity and consistency of care. The provider regularly reviewed people’s needs to ensure staffing levels reflected their assessed needs and changing levels of dependency.
Medicines management systems were comprehensive and supported safe administration. Medicines administration records contained detailed information about people’s medicines, allergies, administration schedules, GP details, pharmacy information and specific administration guidance. The registered manager reported that medicines audits and policies supported safe practice and records demonstrated medicines were managed safely and effectively.
Risk assessments and support plans accurately reflected people's current needs and levels of dependency. The records reviewed clearly identified risks associated with mobility, nutrition and dementia-related needs.
Control measures were detailed and proportionate, giving staff clear guidance on managing identified risks. Support plans demonstrated a person-centred approach and considered people's cultural preferences, communication needs and emotional wellbeing. Daily care logs completed through an electronic care recording system were detailed and reflected people’s assessed needs and care plans.
Governance arrangements were effective. The provider undertook regular quality assurance audits, medicines audits, staff surveys and spot checks to monitor service quality and identify areas for improvement. A service continuity plan was in place to support business resilience and service delivery. The registered manager confirmed the service worked collaboratively with external healthcare professionals including district nurses, GPs and palliative care teams to promote positive outcomes for people receiving support.
Alpha Care Specialist used systems to record, investigate and respond to complaints. Records reviewed demonstrated the provider investigated complaints, responded appropriately and used the outcomes to drive learning and improvement. Where concerns had been raised, the management team reviewed the circumstances, identified any actions required and shared learning with staff. This help improve practice and reduce the likelihood of similar issues occurring in the future. The provider demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement and ensuring feedback was used positively to enhance the quality and safety of the service.
Whilst no safeguarding incidents had been recorded within the last year, we discussed with the registered manager the importance of maintaining effective safeguarding monitoring systems which will ensure learning is embedded across the service to promote continuous quality improvement.
People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes, this can be done through a procedure called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and how they managed DoLS within the service.
We found that staff and management worked within the MCA. DoLS authorisations were appropriately applied for and overseen. People were not subject to unlawful or excessive restrictions they had choice, control and freedom over their lives.
Staff interviewed mentioned that they understand “I know that MCA is about supporting people to make their own decisions whenever possible. If someone lacks capacity for a specific decision, we carry out a capacity assessment and make best-interest decisions”.