29 July 2019
During a routine inspection
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.