We received some negative comments but these were in the minority. The negative comments related to staffing issues when the regular staff were not at work and staff not always letting people know when they were going to be late.
We found that the service had effective systems in place for obtaining consent, controlling the spread of infection, quality monitoring and responding to complaints.
Staff from the local authority told us that they visited the service as a part of their monitoring of the quality of services and were pleased with the changes that had been made at Alpha Home Care and Nursing Agency.
People told us that they had care files in their homes that care staff checked and signed when they visited. We found that people receiving the service had a plan of care that contained detailed information about the way in which their needs were met. People confirmed that they were given appropriate choices when staff visited and we found that these choices were recorded in the plan of care.
Three people told us that they previously had problems with late calls and missed visits. They said that a few months ago they often did not know who was coming and at what time they would arrive. One person told us that things had changed dramatically over the past five weeks. He added that 'It is the best it has ever been in the two years that I have been having the service.'
People told us that they were able to speak with the office staff if they needed to do so. One person told us that the office staff did not ring to say that the carer was going to be late even although the carer had asked the office staff to let people know.
People told us that they felt safe with carers coming into their homes. One person who was cared for in bed said 'I trust all of the carers who visit me.' One relative told us about an incident where the care worker was able to demonstrate that they were trustworthy.
We asked people if they thought that they were treated with dignity and respect. One person said that 'They treat my husband lovely.' Another person said 'I am treated with all the respect in the world.' One couple told us 'We are both treated with much dignity and respect.'
The people who we spoke with were complimentary about the knowledge and skills of the care workers. One person told us that 'Staff know what they are doing.' We also heard 'The agency always sends someone who knows what they are doing.'
People felt staff treated them with respect, listened to what they said, and were flexible.
All the comments about the standard of support from care staff were positive.
We were told:
'The fact is the girls come and help, they respond to our requests, they're great,'
'We're comfortable with the staff.'
'I can't complain about anything, I couldn't manage without them.'
'I'm happy with the care, if I wasn't I would ring Alpha up.'
'The girls are great. They're helpful, I've got no problems with them.'
'We never get two strangers.'
Some people felt it was easy to contact the management and people in the Alpha the office.
They said:
'If I have a problem I ring the office and I know who to speak to.'
And
'We have never felt let down. The manager has come and worked in the home. And I know how to contact the office but never had a need to complain.'
However most people said they had problems contacting the office staff, the manager and supervising staff.
Peoples comments included:
'It's hard to get hold of people in the office.'
'I can ring and leave messages but no one ever gets back to me.'
And
'It's hard to get hold of people either they're not available or there's no answer.'
People also said it was rare for them to be contacted by senior staff about the quality of the service.
'The office never ever rings.'
'No one from the office at Alpha rings.'
'The administration is abysmal and I've not received any feedback from a questionnaire I returned a while ago.'
And
'I think it would be good to know from the office which staff are coming from day to day. The carers tell me but I think it would be better coming from the office.'
We discussed these matters with the management team. We were informed that the company had installed a new telephone system and this would record and monitor calls to the office. We also discussed the new rules that had been introduced to improve the running of the office and the availability of office staff, which means some problems should be solved.
We also discussed the need to monitor the effectiveness of these changes. The manager stated she expected an immediate reduction in complaints and this would help to indicate whether communication was improving.