Archived: Alpha Community Care Limited

Alpha Community Care Limited is a domiciliary care agency that is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, 22 people were receiving a service from the agency. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

People told us they felt safe and staff were kind and caring. Staff understood how to protect people from harm or discrimination and had access to safeguarding adults’ procedures. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people's needs and ensure their safety. The provider operated an effective recruitment procedure to ensure prospective staff were suitable to work for the service. The registered manager carried out risk assessments to enable people to retain their independence and receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. People were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection. People received their medicines safely and were supported to eat and drink in accordance with their care plan.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People’s needs were assessed prior to them using the service. The registered manager had appropriate arrangements to ensure staff received training relevant to their role. She explained all staff were due to refresh their training in the next two months. New staff completed an induction training programme. Staff felt well supported by the registered manager.

People and their relatives consistently told us staff were caring and always showed kindness and compassion. People and where appropriate their relatives had been consulted about their care needs and had been involved in the care planning process. Staff worked in respectful ways to maintain people's privacy and dignity. Staff were motivated and demonstrated a clear commitment to providing dignified and compassionate support. People were supported and encouraged to participate in a range of activities. People and their relatives had access to clear complaints procedure.

The registered manager demonstrated a strong and supportive leadership style. She led by example and promoted a culture of team work and inclusion for all. Staff felt valued and were proud to work for the service. The registered manager had established quality assurance systems and used feedback to make improvements to the service.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 2 February 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.

The service is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. The agency’s office is located on the outskirts of Burnley. At the time of the inspection, 11 people were using the service.

The service was managed by 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 legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

This was the first inspection of the agency. During the inspection, we found the service was meeting the current regulations.

People told us they were very happy with the service and described all the staff as caring. They said they felt safe and secure using the service. Potential risks to people’s health and well-being were assessed and managed effectively. Staff showed awareness of how to keep people safe and understood the policies and procedures used to safeguard people. There were appropriate records and safeguards in place to assist people with their medicines.

Staff arrived on time and stayed for the full time allocated to them. There was a sufficient number of staff to cover all the visits and people received care from a consistent group of staff. Appropriate recruitment practices were followed and relevant checks were undertaken, which helped to ensure only suitable staff were employed to care for people. Staff told us they felt supported and received regular supervision and support from the registered manager. Staff had been provided with appropriate training to help them carry out their role. The registered manager carried out a skills analysis with all new members of staff so training could be tailored to individual needs.

Most staff spoken with had an awareness of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and had completed appropriate training. People had signed a consent form to indicate their agreement for care to be provided in line with their care plan.

People received safe care and support which reflected their personal preferences, likes and dislikes and promoted their independence. People were involved in the planning and monitoring of their care. People were treated with kindness, sensitivity and care. Staff were respectful of people’s privacy and maintained their dignity People were fully involved in making decisions about their care. People were supported to eat and drink in accordance with their care plan.

We saw a complaints procedure was in place and this provided information on the action to take if a person wished to raise any concerns.

People using the service and staff spoken with had confidence in the registered manager and felt the agency was well managed. There was a quality monitoring system in place. The registered manager undertook regular audits and people were asked for their views. Feedback was acted upon to maintain or improve the service provided.