Alpha Home Assist

Updated 20 March 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection team consisted of two inspectors and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type:

Alpha Home Assist is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care to thirteen people. Alpha Home Assist provides a service to older people, people living with dementia, adults with physical disabilities and people living with sensory impairments.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they, and the provider, are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. The registered manager had been in post since July 2018 and was not registered manager at the time of the last inspection.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

Inspection site visit activity started on 11 February 2019 and ended on 12 February 2019. We visited the office location on 12 February 2019 to see the manager and office staff and to review care records and policies and procedures.

What we did:

As part of the inspection, we reviewed the information we held about the service, including notifications. We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. A notification is information about events that by law the registered persons should tell us about. We asked for feedback from the commissioners of people's care to find out their views on the quality of the service.

During the inspection, we spoke with four people who used the service and four relatives. We did this to gain people’s views about the care and to check standards of care were being met. We also spoke with the registered manager and three care staff.

We reviewed the care records of four people. We looked at three staff files, which included pre-employment checks and training records. We also looked at other records relating to the management of the service including rotas, complaint logs, accident reports, monthly audits, and medicine administration records.

After the inspection the provider sent us additional evidence that was not provided at the time of inspection. The provider also sent us some documentation that had been updated following feedback given by the inspector.

Updated 20 March 2019

About the service:

Alpha Home Assist is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the community. Alpha Home Assist provides a service to older people, people living with dementia, adults with physical disabilities and people living with sensory impairments. At the time of the inspection, thirteen people were using the service for personal care.

People’s experience of using this service:

Assessment documentation was not always completed consistently. Improvements were required to some documentation to ensure people’s needs were appropriately recorded.

Audits were in place that effectively checked the quality of the service and action plans were implemented and followed where necessary. People, relatives and staff found the management team approachable. There was an open culture in the service and the management team made themselves available.

Systems were in place to protect people from abuse and staff understood them. Processes were in place to ensure staff were recruited safely. Risk was managed and reviewed to ensure people were kept safe. Medication was administered safely.

People’s needs and choices were assessed and promoted effectively. Staff were skilled and had the knowledge to deliver effective care. Staff worked well together and with healthcare professionals to effectively meet people’s needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

People were supported by kind and caring staff who displayed empathy and compassion. People and their relatives were encouraged to be involved in making decisions about their care. People were supported by staff who respected their privacy and dignity and promoted their independence.

People were supported by staff who understood their preferences and individual communication needs. People’s concerns and complaints were listened to, investigated and responded to appropriately.

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection, the service was rated Requires Improvement (published 7 August 2017).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. At the last inspection in February 2017, we asked the provider to take action to make improvements. Some action has been completed, however, further improvements are required.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.