Background to this inspection
Updated
16 April 2021
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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission, though they ceased working for the provider shortly after our inspection. The provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who might 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 took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with the nominated individual and the deputy manager for the service. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We reviewed a range of records. This included one person’s care records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. This included speaking to relatives about their experience of care and looking at further evidence sent to us by the provider with regard to medicine records and recruitment.
Updated
16 April 2021
About the service
Alliance Resource Healthcare is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care. At the time of the inspection one person was receiving care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service’s policies were out of date, for example the safeguarding adults policy. This meant staff may not have been working to the most up to date law and guidance. Risks to people were not always assessed. Medicines were not always managed safely with audits not picking up gaps in people’s administration records. Staff at the service were not recruited safely because criminal record checks were not carried out until after they had worked in their roles for some time. It was unclear whether lessons were learned when things went wrong as there were no records of any incidents or accidents. We saw supervisions offered staff the opportunity to learn. Quality assurance measures were lacking. There had been no records of staff meetings occurring though we were told they happened.
We have made two recommendations to the provider. The first relates to ensuring the service is safeguarding people from abuse by following national guidance. The second is with respect to managing medicines safely.
Infection control measures were in place. Care plans and risk assessments were person centred. A relative spoke positively about the service. Staff felt supported by management. Staff worked with other agencies to the benefit of people using 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
This service was registered with us on 24 July 2011 and this is the first inspection. We did not inspect this service before because they were not providing care to people.
Why we inspected
We believed there was risk present at the service as they had not been inspected previously and had been inactive for a long time. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvement. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.
You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.
Enforcement
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.
We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment, fit and proper persons employed and good governance at this inspection.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.