- Homecare service
Alpha Care Specialists Ltd
Assessment report published 19 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
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”.
People's experience of this service
People and their relatives provided overwhelmingly positive feedback about the service.
Relatives consistently described staff as compassionate, respectful, reliable and knowledgeable about the people they supported. Families valued the continuity of care provided by regular care workers and told us this helped develop trusting and meaningful relationships. A relative told us, "There are about 3 care workers that go to the person regularly, that the person recognises. My relative is comfortable because they are all female and Greek speaking."
Relatives consistently praised the provider's ability to match people with Greek-speaking care workers who understood their culture, traditions and communication needs. Families explained that this enhanced engagement, reduced anxiety and promoted better outcomes, particularly for people living with dementia. A relative said, "The care workers are mature ladies, because they are Greek speaking they are able to interact with my relative, my relative engages with them."
Families spoke positively about communication between care workers and relatives and felt well informed about any changes to staffing arrangements or people's needs. A relative explained, "Alpha Care let you know who to expect, it is a named individual. If one of the care workers will be away, they will let me know."
Relatives described care workers as caring, patient and respectful. Several families reported long-standing relationships with care workers and felt people were treated with dignity and compassion. A relative commented, "They think of each other like family, because they speak the same language."
Another relative summarised the caring culture of the service by saying, "There is a thread of compassion that runs through their approach."
Families described care workers as responsive and proactive when concerns arose. A relative provided an example of staff going beyond expected duties to ensure a person's wellbeing. They said, "Last week the care worker called me and said the person wasn't keen on eating and has a stomach-ache, so I said I would come over, and the care worker waited with person despite it being over their allocated call time”.
A person using the service spoke very highly of the care they received. They said they felt listened to, looked forward to care workers visiting every day and described staff as dedicated and committed to their role. They told us care workers took pride in the support they provided and consistently supported them in accordance with their individual needs and preferences.
A staff member described people's individual needs and preferences in detail, demonstrating a good understanding of the people they supported. For example, staff described how they supported a person living with advanced dementia whose physical wellbeing, comfort and mood fluctuated. They explained how they adapted support daily according to the person's needs and wellbeing.
Overall, people and their relatives expressed high levels of satisfaction with the service. Feedback demonstrated that people received personalised, culturally sensitive and compassionate care from staff who knew them well and were committed to supporting their wellbeing, independence and quality of life. Whilst a small number of relatives felt additional staffing capacity could further support service delivery during periods of annual leave; this did not detract from the overwhelmingly positive views expressed about the quality of care provided by the service