We carried out a review of the data available to us about Alina Homecare Devizes on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Alina Homecare Devizes, you can give feedback on this service.
Alina Homecare Devizes is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 21 people.
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’s medicines were managed safely. Systems were in place to make sure staff had guidance for ‘as required’ medicines. The provider used an electronic medicines management system which enabled office staff to receive an alert when a medicine was not administered. Action could be taken immediately to make sure people had their medicines on time.
At our last inspection we found quality monitoring had not identified some shortfalls with clinical training for staff. At this inspection we found improvement had been made. Staff working with people with specific clinical needs had received the training they needed and been assessed for competence.
Quality monitoring systems were in place at the branch level and at a higher provider level. Office staff carried out various checks to make sure staff were working to the provider’s standards. This included unannounced checks in people’s homes and telephone calls to people and their relatives.
Risk management plans were in place to give staff personalised guidance on how best to support people safely. Plans had been reviewed and updated when needed. Incidents and accidents were recorded and reviewed by the management to makes sure any action needed was taken. The provider also had oversight of incidents to help with identifying any patterns or trends.
People were supported by enough staff. Some comments about staffing demonstrated some people felt there was a shortage of staff. The registered manager told us they had enough staff for current packages but were in the process of recruiting more staff. They told us they would like to meet the local demand for care at home but were not able to take on any new people at this time. There had been no missed visits and people and relatives told us they felt the service was safe.
Staff had been recruited safely and provided with training and support for their roles. Staff told us they felt well supported by the provider and there was good teamwork. Staff could attend meetings and visit the office when they needed to. The provider had a range of staff rewards on offer including ‘carer of the month’ and financial bonuses.
People were able to share their views regularly. The provider carried out quality calls via the telephone and an annual survey. Results from 2021 demonstrated that across the provider’s services people were happy with their care worker. Audits were completed regularly, and the branch had a twice-yearly full audit carried out by the provider’s quality team.
Overall comments about the management of the service were positive. People, relatives and staff said the management were approachable and would deal with any of their issues. Some people and relatives preferred to communicate with the deputy manager as they appreciated her depth of knowledge for their particular care situations and commented positively on her timely responses.
Staff had access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and received training and guidance on working safely during COVID-19. Staff were testing for COVID-19 following the current government guidance. People told us staff wore their PPE when needed and kept their homes clean during their visits.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 13 March 2020). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulation.
At our last inspection we recommended that the provider considered best practice about management of ‘as required’ medicines. At this inspection we found the provider had acted on the recommendation and made the improvement required.
Why we inspected
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 14 January 2020. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve good governance.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Alina Homecare Devizes on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Alina Homecare is a care agency providing personal care to people, aged 18 years and over, in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, the agency was supporting approximately 50 people.
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
Medicines were not always safely managed as there was limited information about those medicines, prescribed to be taken “as required.” Some medicine instructions were handwritten, without being signed or countersigned. This did not minimise the risk of error.
There were enough staff to support existing care packages. Further recruitment was taking place to meet increased demand. New staff were being safely recruited. Systems to prevent and control infection were in place.
People were supported to have enough to eat and drink. Staff prepared some meals and supported others to do this independently. People were supported to access various health and social care services, to remain healthy.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
The service had its own training department and a range of training was organised for staff. However, records did not always evidence the clinical care training, staff had completed or whether their competency had been assessed. This was addressed following the inspection.
People were treated with kindness and compassion. Systems, such as staff training and monitoring, ensured this. People were encouraged to direct their care. This involved developing and reviewing their support plan. People’s privacy and dignity were promoted.
People were happy with their support. People received a responsive service, which met their needs. People were supported by a small team of staff, who knew them well. Social inclusion and enhancing quality of life were given clear focus.
People had support plans, which gave an overview of their needs and preferences. Some information was detailed yet other areas lacked clarity. The registered manager told us staff knew what support people needed but would ensure greater detail was added to documentation.
There was a positive approach to complaints and how they could be used to improve the service. People and their relatives knew how to raise a concern.
There were auditing systems in place to assess the quality and safety of the service. However, these were not fully effective. Management had not identified records to evidence staff’s clinical competence, were incomplete. The registered manager told us this was addressed after the inspection.
There was a caring ethos and a clear emphasis on quality and providing good outcomes for people.
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 21/01/2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the new registration of the service.
We have identified a breach of regulation in relation to good governance and have made a recommendation about the management of some medicines.
You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full 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.