Alyson Homecare

Updated 14 September 2023

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 completed by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

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

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

The inspection was announced. 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 who is also the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 13 June 2023 and ended on 24 August 2023. We visited the location’s office on 13 June 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the Local Authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 1 relative about their experience of the care and support provided for their family member. We spoke with 3 members of staff, the registered provider and manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included 1 person’s care records and their medicine administration records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment, staff training, induction, and supervision records. A variety of information was also viewed relating to the management of the service, including the service’s quality assurance arrangements.

Updated 14 September 2023

About the service

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Alyson Homecare is a domiciliary care agency providing the regulated activity of personal care. The service provides support to people who have a learning disability and who are autistic. At the time of our inspection there was 1 person using the service.

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

Right Support:

Staff supported people to have the maximum possible choice, control, and independence over their own lives.

People were supported to take part in activities within their local community.

Staff supported people with their medicines.

Right Care:

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs.

People who had individual ways of communicating, using body language, sounds, Makaton (a form of sign language), pictures and symbols, could interact comfortably with staff and others involved in their care and support because staff had the necessary skills to understand them.

Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse.

The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.

People’s support plans reflected their range of needs.

Right Culture:

People received good quality care and support.

Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive to their care and support needs.

Management and staff put people’s needs and wishes at the heart of everything they did.

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

This service was registered with us in April 2022, and this was the service’s first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

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