Alpha Health & Social Care Services Cambridgeshire

Updated 21 January 2023

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

This inspection was undertaken by one inspector.

Service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

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 announced. We gave 48 hours' notice of the inspection because some of the people using it could not consent to a telephone call from an inspector. This meant that we had to arrange for a ‘best interests’ decision about this. This was because some people needed a court appointed deputy or relative to speak on their behalf.

Inspection activity started on 5 January 2023 and ended on 10 January 2023. We visited the office location on 10 January 2023.

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. We reviewed information we had received about the service since its last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority safeguarding team and one person’s advocate. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 7 people and 2 of their relatives. We also spoke with 4 other people's relatives and 9 staff including the registered manager, care coordinator, senior care staff and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. We looked at three people's care plans, various medicine administration records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were also reviewed, including training records, complaints, compliments, incident records, quality assurance processes and various policies and procedures.

Updated 21 January 2023

About the service

Alpha Health & Social Care Services Cambridgeshire is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes or other care services. The service supports a variety of people and these were younger and older people; some who were living with dementia, people with a learning disability or autistic support needs and people with a sensory impairment. At the time of the inspection, 17 people were using the service.

The service also provides some people with live-in care. This is where staff spend a large proportion of the day and night supporting 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.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

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

Right Support

People were supported by a consistent staff team who they felt comfortable with. People received their medicines as prescribed and staff ensured they followed infection prevention guidance and good practise. The service and the staff team took on board learning when things went wrong.

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 gave people care and support in a safe environment that they helped people keep clean. Staff complied with measures designed to reduce risk of infections.

Staff focused on people's strengths and promoted what they could do, enabling the opportunity for people to lead meaningful lives. One relative told us how good staff were at prompting independence.

Staff whenever possible, supported people to achieve aspirations and goals. The service worked well with people to plan for when they experienced periods of distress; to minimise any restrictions and to ensure people had as much freedom, choice and control over their lives as possible. One person told us they had all the equipment they needed to live more independently and staff ensured it was used safely.

Staff received effective training in how to manage people’s emotions, distress or anxieties and were confident in their ability to effectively use this training. At the time of our inspection practices involving any form of restraint were not required. However, the policy in place detailed that, any restraint would only be used in an emergency situation as a last resort and for the shortest time possible to protect people from harm. Staff supported people to make decisions following best practice in decision-making. Staff communicated with people in ways that met their needs. One relative said, “Staff fully understand my [family member] who can’t verbalise their needs.”

Staff enabled people to access the community. Staff supported people to achieve the best possible health outcomes.

Right Care

Staff focused on and promoted people's equality and diversity, supporting and responding well to their individual needs. This changed people's lives for the better. People were supported to take part in pastimes they enjoyed such as puzzles, a favourite TV programme, going into the community and celebrating special events in their life.

Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse, and had the skills protect people from poor care and abuse, or the risk of this happening. The service worked with other agencies to do so. The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people's needs and keep them safe. All those we spoke with felt people were safe and had enough support to do this.

Staff had a good understanding of people's individual ways of communicating and this enabled people to be listened to. People received care that supported their needs and aspirations, was focused on their quality of life, and followed best practice. Relatives told us staff were caring and knew people's needs and preferences well. Staff gave people privacy, treated them with dignity, respect and promoted people's independence.

Right Culture:

Staff knew how to positively manage risk and support people to keep them safe. Enough suitably skilled staff had been safely recruited. People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation strengths, impairments or sensitivities people with a learning disability and/or autistic people may have. Staff knew people exceptionally well and responded to their needs and wishes.

Staff put people's wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. Staff ensured risks of a closed culture were minimised so that people received support based on transparency, respect and inclusivity.

People's needs were assessed before the service provided them with care or support. Staff knew people's needs well and care plans were reviewed as soon as changes occurred. Staff had received the required training and ongoing support to help them maintain and improve their skills. Relatives and health professionals all confirmed staff had the skills necessary to care for people well.

Monitoring and oversight of the service was effective in identifying and driving improvements. The registered manager led by example and had fostered an open and honest staff team culture. People came first and foremost, and they had a say in how the service was provided. Apologies were offered when things went wrong, and the provider was open to learning as well as using compliments to identify what worked well. The provider worked well with other organisations, to provide people with joined up care.

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 5 August 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

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

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.