We carried out a review of the data available to us about Alison House CareHome Limited 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 Alison House CareHome Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
We found the following examples of good practice.
• The visiting policy and procedure in place had been shared with relatives. This contained details of the booking procedure to ensure visits were carried out safely and there was time allotted to sanitise the visiting areas afterwards.
• When visits had been restricted other methods were used to ensure people continued to have contact with people that mattered to them such as, video/telephone calls and window visits. The registered manager kept in regular contact with relatives to provide updates on their relatives’ wellbeing.
• Staff were cohorted across the service to reduce the risk of cross infection. When additional staff were used to cover shortages there was a procedure in place to ensure they only worked at Alison House.
• The environment was well maintained and clean. Additional cleaning had been implemented to lower the risk of cross transmission of infection.
• Staff had received extra training for the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The registered manager carried out competency checks to ensure staff were following the guidelines when supporting people.
• Staff were supported by the registered manager during periods of anxiety and staff had been signposted to external health and wellbeing services.
Alison House Care Home provides personal care to people aged 65 and over. The service can support up to 29 people and at the time of the inspection 20 people were living at the home.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People received safe and effective care and support to meet their individual needs. Care was assessed and delivered in line with people's individual needs and preferences.
People were protected from harm as risks were assessed and managed and staff were confident to recognise and report abuse.
People received their medicines as prescribed and there were procedures in place to ensure the process was carried out safely and monitored on a regular basis.
People were supported by a staff team who had the knowledge and skills to meet their needs effectively. There were sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s care needs in a timely manner.
Staff were well trained and well supported.
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.
Staff worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to ensure consistency and ensure people received appropriate and safe support. People were supported to access healthcare, and other agencies, when required. People's nutritional needs were met and monitored. People were satisfied with the quality of the food and had regular access to a range of hot and cold drinks.
Staff were caring and respectful, promoting people’s privacy, dignity and independence.
People’s care was responsive to their changing needs. People, relatives and health and social care professionals were involved in the assessment and planning of care and this joint working meant people’s needs were met. People knew how to raise a concern and felt listened to. Information was available in different formats to make it accessible.
People had mixed views about activities. Most felt that opportunities for meaningful activities could be improved and the registered manager was working with the team to achieve this.
People felt the service was well managed and people, and staff, had opportunities to share their views about the service. Staff felt listened to when they shared feedback. Audits monitored the quality of care provided and feedback was sought from people who used the service (and their relatives) to ensure their ongoing satisfaction.
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 30 June 2017). At this inspection the service has remained good.
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.
Alison House provides accommodation and personal care for up to 29 older people. On the day of the inspection 22 people were living there.
The home had a registered manager who was present on the day of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons.’ Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People felt safe living in the home and staff knew how to safeguard them from the risk of potential abuse. People were protected from the risk of harm because staff were aware of how to maintain their safety. People were cared for by sufficient numbers of staff who had been recruited safely. Medicines were managed appropriately to ensure people received their prescribed treatment.
People were cared for by skilled staff who were supported in their role by the registered manager. People could be confident that their human rights would be protected because staff had included the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards in their care practice. People were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts to promote their health. People had access to relevant healthcare services when needed.
People were supported by staff who were caring and attentive to their needs. People were encouraged to be involved in their care planning to ensure they received care that reflected their preferences. People’s right to privacy and dignity was promoted by staff.
People were involved in their care assessment and were supported by staff to pursue their interests. People’s complaints were listened to and acted on.
People were encouraged to have a say in how the home was run. People and staff were aware of the management team and felt supported by them. The registered manager was supported in their role by the registered provider to ensure people received a safe and effective service. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of service provided to people.
The service was registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 29 people. People who used the service had physical health needs and/or were living with dementia. At the time of our inspection 26 people were using the service.
The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
At the last inspection in September 2013, the service was meeting all of the outcomes we inspected against.
Medicines were not always managed safely and correctly though records showed that people received their medicines as prescribed.
People's mental capacity to make their own decisions had not been assessed when required and the registered manager was not clear about which people had appointed attorneys to make decisions on their behalf under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). This meant that the service could not be sure they were acting in accordance with the MCA.
People felt safe and staff knew how to protect people from avoidable harm and abuse. People’s risks were assessed and managed to help keep them safe and we saw that care was delivered in line with agreed plans.
There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. People told us and we saw that requests for support were responded to promptly by staff who had been checked to ensure they were suitable to work with the people who used the service. Staff were suitably trained to meet people’s needs and were supported and supervised to help them deliver effective care.
People were provided with enough food and drink to maintain a healthy diet. People had choices about their food and drinks and were provided with support when required to ensure their nutritional needs were met. People’s health was monitored and access to healthcare professionals was arranged when required.
People were treated with kindness and compassion and they were happy with the care they received. People were encouraged to make choices about their care and their privacy and dignity was respected.
People had support to meet their individual needs and preferences and they were provided with opportunities to participate in activities that interested them. Care plans were detailed and personal so that staff had the information they needed to be able to provide support to meet needs and requirements.
People knew how to complain and complaints were dealt with in line with the provider’s procedure. People and their relatives were encouraged to give feedback on the care provided. The registered manager and provider responded to feedback and changes were made to improve the quality of the service provided.
The registered manager understood the conditions of registration with us. We saw that systems were in place to monitor quality and that the registered manager analysed information and took actions to make improvements when required. There was a positive and homely atmosphere at the service and people felt the registered manager was approachable.
People who used the service were treated with respect and dignity, they told us they were happy living at Alison House. One person said, 'I'm sure I don't know what I would do if I wasn't here'.
Care was provided in a way which was planned to meet the needs of the individual. Care records contained risk assessments which assisted staff to provide appropriate care.
People told us they felt safe in the home. Staff understood how to protect people from abuse. A member of staff said, 'I would go to a supervisor, or the manager if I saw something I wasn't happy with'.
There were sufficient suitably qualified staff at all times to provide appropriate care.
There were systems in place to enable the provider to assess and monitor the care provided to people who used the service.