The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

Alexandra Villa

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

252 Alexandra Road, Bensham, Gateshead, NE8 4ED (0191) 490 1776

Provided and run by:
Aspire Healthcare Limited

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

About the service

Alexandra Villa is a care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 2 people. At the time of this assessment, 1 person was living at the service and receiving one-to-one support throughout the day and night.

Who the service is for

The service supports adults with a learning disability and associated health needs who require accommodation and personal care. Support was tailored to individual needs and focuses on promoting independence, choice and control whilst ensuring people remain safe and receive appropriate healthcare support.

Our view of the service

We carried out this assessment on 2 July 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice.

The service worked in line with the principles of right support, right care and right culture.
People had choice and control, with care focused on independence and quality of life.

People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Staff understood risks and supported people to live as independently as possible. We observed staff supporting the person safely within their home, offering reassurance and guidance where needed.

Medicines were managed safely, and the environment was clean and well maintained.

People received effective care that met their needs. Assessments and care records reflected health needs, preferences and communication needs. Staff worked with health professionals to support wellbeing and respond to changes in health.

People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. We observed warm and relaxed interactions. Staff offered meaningful choices and gave people time to respond, supporting them to express preferences about their daily life.

Support was personalised and focused on what mattered to people. People were supported to take part in activities such as drawing and gardening, promoting a meaningful routine and engagement.

The service was well-led. Leaders were visible and staff consistently met people’s needs. Governance systems were in place to monitor quality and safety, and leaders acted promptly to address minor issues and maintain oversight.

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.

5 November 2019

During a routine inspection

About the service

Alexandra Villa is a small care home providing personal care to one person. The service can support up to two people.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

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

The home was clean and tidy, but the lounge lacked homeliness. We made a recommendation about this.

The registered manager and the staff understood how to keep the person safe. They understood risks and how to mitigate them. Staff were subject to recruitment checks before they were employed in the service. Appropriate staff cover was provided at all times. Safety checks were carried out to make sure the home was a safe place in which to live.

Staff were supported using supervision, appraisal and training. The staff were aware of the need for a nutritious diet. They supported the person to have a healthy lifestyle and assisted them to attend appointments.

Staff treated the person well. They were kind and worked to ensure the person’s well-being was promoted.

The person was supported to have maximum choice and control of their life and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Care plans contained accurate information. Access was provided to the complaints procedure and staff worked with the person to use the procedure as a means of opening up discussion and addressing any of their concerns.

Staff felt supported by the registered manager. Systems were in place to audit the quality of the service. A new auditing process had recently been introduced by the provider. This required further development.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that the person using the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

The outcomes for the person using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. The person’s support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

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

Rating at last inspection and update: The last rating for this service was good (published 4 May 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

14 March 2017

During a routine inspection

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 21 December 2015 and 8 January 2016. Four breaches of legal requirements were found at that time. We undertook a focused inspection on 11 August 2016 to check that they had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met legal requirements. We found the registered provider had met most of the assurances they had given in their action plan and were no longer in breach of the majority of the relevant regulations. However, some audits had not identified issues we found at inspection about the service’s safety. We carried out our latest inspection to check if further progress had been made in improving audits.

This inspection took place on the 14 March 2017 and was announced. As this is a small service we gave 24 hours’ notice to ensure someone would be in when we called.

Alexandra Villa provides accommodation and personal care for up to two people with needs related to their mental health or learning disability. Accommodation is provided over one floor in two single bedrooms. At the time of the inspection one person was using the service.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons.’ Registered persons have a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager was on an extended period of leave, the registered provider had notified us of this and made arrangements for another of their registered managers to cover this service. This covering manager supported the inspection on the day.

The person living at Alexandra Villas told us they felt safe and were well cared for. Staff knew about safeguarding vulnerable adults and to report concerns to a designated person within the provider organisation.

The home was domestic in scale and design. It was adequately decorated and maintained and outstanding issues from the last inspection had been resolved.

At the time of our inspection the levels of staff on duty and on call arrangements were sufficient to ensure safe care. New staff were subject to thorough recruitment checks. The registered provider had now recruited adequate staff to ensure the service had its required compliment.

Appropriate systems were in place for the management of people’s medicines. People were encouraged to maintain their independence, for example through retaining responsibility for managing their own medicines.

Staff were supported through the provision of mentoring, training, supervision sessions and annual appraisals, although recording of this was not always robust. Staff confirmed they felt well supported in their roles and spoke positively about the covering manager and their leadership and management of the home.

The service worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People’s capacity to make decisions about their care and treatment was assessed and where appropriate, “best interest” decisions were made on people’s behalf. These involved relevant healthcare professionals as well as people’s friends and family members.

People were complimentary about the caring nature of the staff team. Staff had developed strong, caring relationships with the people they supported and were very knowledgeable about their individual needs, likes and dislikes.

People’s needs were assessed prior to them joining the service. Detailed, person-centred care plans were produced which guided staff on how to care for people. These included details of any preferences people may have. People and their representatives were actively involved in their care planning and were also encouraged to voice their opinions about the service in general.

People’s needs were reviewed on an on-going basis and action taken to obtain the input of other healthcare professionals where appropriate. Systems were in place to ensure people had sufficient to eat and drink and to access other healthcare professionals in order to maintain good health.

A range of systems were in place to monitor and review the quality and effectiveness of the service. Action was taken to address areas for improvement identified. Complaints were taken seriously and records maintained of the action taken by the service in response to any form of dissatisfaction.

We made recommendations around record keeping of staff meetings and supervisions.

11 August 2016

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 21December 2015 and 8 January 2016. Four breaches of legal requirements were found at that time. These related to breaches of regulations regarding safety, restrictions imposed on a person which were not subject to appropriate legal authorisation, staff training and governance (management) arrangements. After the comprehensive inspection the provider wrote to us to say what they would do to meet legal requirements.

We undertook this focused inspection on 11 August 2016 to check that they had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to these requirements. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Alexandra Villa on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Alexandra Villa provides accommodation and personal care for up to two people with needs related to their mental health or learning disability. Accommodation is provided over one floor in two single bedrooms. At the time of the inspection there was one person accommodated in the home.

The service had a manager who had commenced the process of becoming registered with CQC. At the time of this inspection they were on extended leave. After the inspection the provider notified us that a registered manager for another service would oversee this home on an interim basis. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We found the provider had met most of the assurances they had given in their action plan and were no longer in breach with the majority of the relevant regulations.

Inappropriate restrictions were no longer imposed and the person concerned told us they could come and go freely. Staff training had commenced and a new manager had been appointed and was in the process of registering with the CQC. Some fire safety improvements had been implemented, although further work was required to ensure the fire alarm system was audible in all areas of the home. Quality and risk assurance arrangements had failed to incorporate and prompt improvements in relation to fire safety.

We found a breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, relating to relating to governance (quality assurance). You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.

21 December 2015 and 8 January 2016

During a routine inspection

We carried out an inspection of Alexandra Villa on 21 December 2015 and 8 January 2016. The first day of the inspection was unannounced. We last inspected Alexandra Villa in September 2013. At that inspection we found the service was meeting the legal requirements in force at that time.

Alexandra Villa is a two bed care home that provides care and support to people with learning disabilities. Nursing care is not provided. At the time of the inspection there was one person accommodated there, with a second person accommodated on an emergency basis for one night at the time of our second visit.

The service did not have a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run.

The person living at Alexandra Villas told us they felt safe and were well cared for, although they wanted to move to a more independent setting. Staff knew about safeguarding vulnerable adults and to report concerns to a designated person within the organisation.

The home was domestic in scale and design. It was adequately decorated and maintained, but fire safety issues identified during August 2015 remained outstanding.

At the time of our inspection, the levels of staff on duty were sufficient to ensure safe care. However, because there were only two staff employed there this meant they worked three days on and three off over a continual basis; including sleep-ins. One staff member was working elsewhere, meaning there was one permanent member of staff. New staff were subject to thorough recruitment checks.

Medicines were managed safely with records completed correctly.

As Alexandra Villa is registered as a care home, CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. We found the overseeing line manager was familiar with the processes involved in the application for a DoLS, although we were told this was not required. Attempts by a staff member to impose restrictions on specific occasions had resulted in escalations in behaviour that challenged the service. Learning from these incidents appeared limited. Financial restrictions were subject to arrangements previously agreed with the Court of Protection.

The permanent worker had received no training since their recruitment in May 2015. Importantly, training on adult safeguarding, behaviour management, other care related topics and training on the Mental Capacity Act and DoLS had not been undertaken. They received supervision and support from a visiting line manager.

Staff kept nutritional records and helped support the person’s health needs, working with external professionals where necessary. This ensured the person’s medical needs were met.

Activities were arranged in the community, including volunteering and leisure activities which were regularly accessed. We observed staff interacting positively with the person living at Alexandra Villas. We saw staff were respectful and ensured privacy and dignity was maintained. The staff member was able to explain the person’s needs and we saw care plans were person centred.

We found there were systems to assess and monitor the safety and quality of the service, which included feedback from the person receiving care. These required refinement to make them more effective and for reflection and learning from incidents to take place. There was no registered manager in post. We had not been notified of changes in management when the previous registered manager left this post and then later left the organisation.

We made a recommendation about staffing deployment.

We found breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, relating to relating to safety, consent, staff training and governance. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.

3 April 2013

During a routine inspection

We found that, where they were able, people living at the home agreed to their care and treatment. Where they could not give consent, formal processes were followed to make decisions about care that were in their best interests.

People were supported by sufficient numbers of skilled and experienced staff who understood their needs. They received care that was properly planned to ensure their safety and welfare, and that was adapted to meet their changing needs.

There were appropriate arrangements in place for people to be given their medication safely.

The provider had introduced more robust systems to keep check on the quality of the service that people received.

10 July 2012

During a routine inspection

We spoke with one of the two people who use the service who told us she was happy at the home. She said she liked the staff, felt safe and got to do lots of activities that she enjoyed. The other person was not able to communicate with us and was out at a day centre at the time of our visit. We reviewed care records and spoke with staff to help us understand people's experiences. We found that they were provided with personalised care and support to meet their needs and ensure their safety.