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Archived: Alpha Community Care Limited

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Office 3, 43 Hammerton Street, Burnley, BB11 1LT (01282) 455205

Provided and run by:
Alpha Community Care Limited

Important: This service was previously registered at a different address - see old profile

Latest inspection summary

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Background to this inspection

Updated 18 March 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

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 CQC. 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service two working days’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 1 March 2022 and ended on 2 March 2022. We visited the location’s office on both days.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We also sought feedback from the local authority.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During the inspection, we visited the office and spoke with the registered manager. We also spoke with three people using the service, three relatives and three members of staff over the telephone.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and associated documentation including medicines records. We also looked at the staff training records and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and policies and procedures.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 18 March 2022

Alpha Community Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes.

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. At the time of the inspection, 19 people were using the service, of which six people were receiving support with personal care.

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

People told us they felt safe and staff were kind and caring. Staff understood how to protect people from harm or discrimination and had access to safeguarding adults’ procedures. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people's needs and ensure their safety. Although no new staff had been employed by the agency since 2019, the registered manager had appropriate recruitment procedures to ensure any prospective staff were suitable to work for the service.

The registered manager carried out risk assessments to enable people to retain their independence and receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. People were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection. People received their medicines safely and were supported to eat and drink in accordance with their care plan.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People’s needs were assessed prior to them using the service. The provider had arrangements for the induction of new staff and provided regular training updates for existing staff. Staff were supported by the registered manager. People were helped to access healthcare services, as appropriate.

People and their relatives told us staff were caring and always showed kindness, sensitivity and respect. People and where appropriate their relatives had been consulted about their care needs and were closely involved in their ongoing care and support. Staff respected people's privacy and dignity. Staff were motivated and demonstrated a clear commitment to providing dignified and compassionate support. People were supported and encouraged to maintain and build their level of independence. People and their relatives had access to a complaints procedure, if they wished to raise a concern.

The registered manager and supervisor carried out a number of audits to check the quality and safety of the service. The registered manager provided clear leadership and took into account the views of people, their relatives and staff on the quality of care provided. The registered manager was committed to making ongoing improvements to the service. She agreed to carry out a satisfaction survey within two weeks of the inspection and record ongoing meetings with the nominated individual to provide evidence of the provider’s oversight of the service. All people, staff and relatives praised the care provided and the management of the service.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for the service at a previous address was good, published on 16 August 2019.

Why we inspected

This was the first inspection of the service following the provider’s move to new premises.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.