Alston House

Updated 29 February 2020

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 residential home. It provides personal care and accommodation to older people, people with mental health needs, people living with dementia, people with learning disabilities, people with physical disabilities, people with sensory impairments and younger adults.

The service had a manager who was registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that when a manager is registered, they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. This included notifications. We sought feedback from the local authority who 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.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who lived in the home about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with three relatives, a visiting health professional, four members of care staff, the cook, the registered manager and the acting manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and seven medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

The acting manager sent us additional evidence after the inspection visit to follow up on the issues raised in the report.

Updated 29 February 2020

Alston House is a residential care service providing personal care and accommodation to older people, people with mental health needs, people living with dementia, people with learning disabilities, people with physical disabilities, people with sensory impairments and younger adults.

At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care to 17 people.

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

The provider had not fully developed effective systems to monitor the quality of care and support people experienced. Safe fire systems were not systematically in place.

Staff went through a recruitment process so that the provider only employed suitable staff, though the system was not robust.

Staff had received training to provide knowledge and skills which enabled them to do their job well and effectively meet people’s needs.

People felt safe with staff from the service. Staff understood how to protect people from the risk of harm and understood potential signs of abuse. Care plans provided guidance for staff to follow to meet people’s needs. Risk assessments reduced risks to people.

People received their medicines as prescribed and they were protected from the risk of infections through staff working practices. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs.

People were provided with care and support that ensured they had good nutrition and hydration. They had access to healthcare that maintained their health and wellbeing. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

Staff knew people well. People had developed positive relationships with staff which helped to ensure good communication and support. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity, they supported people to be independent.

People were involved when deciding how support was provided. Staff knew and understood the needs of the people using the service and care was provided based on their assessed needs. Staff were responsive to changes in people's needs to ensure they received help to maintain their health and well-being.

People knew how to raise any concerns or make a complaint. The provider had a system in place to respond to complaints and put things right. The complaints policy provided information about how these would be managed and responded to.

People and staff spoke positively about the management and leadership of the service. They said staff were very friendly and caring, and they had built good relationships with them. The service worked in partnership with external agencies to ensure people achieved good outcomes from their care and support.

Rating at last inspection:

This was the first inspection of the service under a new provider.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection.

Follow up:

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

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