Prince Alfred Residential Care Home

Updated 23 July 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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors and 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

Prince Alfred is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Prince Alfred is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 21 April 2022 when we visited the home and ended on 26 April 2022 after we had spoken to staff via the telephone.

What we did before the inspection

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. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with nine people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight staff including the registered manager, service administrator, and activities coordinator, a senior care worker and four other staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple 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

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We contacted four further relatives to ask for feedback about the home.

Updated 23 July 2022

About the service

Prince Alfred is a residential care service that provides accommodation and personal care for up to 50 people. It accommodates people across two floors, each of which has separate facilities. At the time of our inspection, there were 46 people living at the home.

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

Everyone we spoke with said they felt safe living at the home. Staff were recruited and selected safety, and medicines were appropriately managed. Incidents and accidents were appropriately recorded and analysed for patterns and trends. There were enough staff to ensure people were kept safe, and call bells were answered in a timely manner. Risks to people’s health and well-being were assessed and reviewed appropriately. Safety checks on the environment were in place and robust. Staff could clearly describe the course of action they would take if they felt someone was being harmed or abused.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control over 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 were appropriately trained and supervised to enable them to carry out their roles. People were supported to eat a balanced diet. We did receive some mixed feedback regarding the food which we fed back to the registered manager.

People said the staff were kind and caring, and we observed warm and familiar caring interactions between staff and people throughout the duration of our inspection. People said staff were “Amazing” and “Absolutely wonderful”. Staff spoke about people with genuine warmth and consideration, and we heard staff asking people if they wanted or needed any help or support during our inspection. There was a warm, welcoming, friendly, homely atmosphere throughout the home. People were very at home in the service and their dignity was promoted exceptionally well. Staff in all roles were passionate about the people living at Prince Alfred and were highly committed to ensuring the best outcomes for people. Staff took time to understand and encourage the unique and individual needs of the people they supported and treated them with the utmost respect. This was reflected in the care and support given to the staff by the management team, who recognised the effects of valuing staff in order for them to deliver high quality care.

People told us how they were supported by staff to follow their interests and engage in relevant and meaningful activities which gave them purpose. There was particular emphasis on tasks people could do for themselves, such as washing, dressing and choosing what they wore, how they spent their day, and what time they wanted to get up and go to bed.

Care plans were person centred and reviewed regularly to ensure any changing needs were taken into account. There was a complaints policy in place, which was made available in different formats to support people’s understanding. There had been no recent complaints, however everyone we spoke with told us they knew how to complain.

All people, without exception, knew who the registered manager was. Staff told us the registered manager led by example and was ‘always doing what was best for people at the home.’ The registered manager welcomed feedback and was clearly proud of the home and the staff team. All notifications had been sent to CQC, and the registered manager understood what was expected of them. Staff told us they enjoyed working at the home, and they felt they could approach the registered manager to help them develop further in their roles or if they had any concerns.

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 the service under the previous provider was good, published on 28 August 2019.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.