Alexandra House - Bury

Updated 26 March 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the registered provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was carried out by an adult social care inspector and an assistant inspector.

Service and service type:

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

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the registered provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

This was a comprehensive inspection and took place on the 25 February and 04 March 2019. The inspection was announced. We gave the service 72 hours notice of the inspection visit as we needed to be sure that managers would be available. On the first day of our inspection we contacted people and their relatives by telephone to seek their feedback about the service provided. On the second day we visited the office location to meet with managers and staff as well as review records about the service.

What we did:

Prior to the inspection the registered provider sent us a completed Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form, which is requested on an annual basis and asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and what improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed information we held about the service, including notifications the registered provider had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the registered provider is required to send us by law.

We contacted the local authority commissioners and adult care teams and Healthwatch Bury to seek their feedback about the service. No issues were raised with us.

During our inspection we spoke with five people who used the service, the relatives of two people, a supervisor, 2 support staff, the registered manager and registered provider. We also reviewed the care files for three people, medication administration records (MARs), three staff recruitment files and training and development records as well as information about the management and conduct of the service.

Updated 26 March 2019

About the service:

Alexandra House is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to people living in their own homes. The agency provides help and support to adults with a variety of needs. The service operates seven days a week and provides a range of care services including; assistance with personal care, help with domestic tasks, preparation of meals, medication administration, social outings and appointments. At the time of our inspection we were told 54 people were using the service. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service:

Systems continued to be maintained to help ensure the safety and protection of people who used the service. This included the safe management and administration of people’s medication, thorough recruitment and training processes, assessment and management of areas of risk and infection control procedures.

People were happy with the care and support they received from the service. Information about their needs and wishes were detailed in a care plan, which was kept under review. 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 place supported this practice.

The service worked closely with other agencies so that people’s health and well-being was maintained. Staff spoken with clearly understood the importance of respecting people's privacy, dignity and independence.

The service continued to provide consistent management and oversight. Opportunities were provided for people who used the service, their relatives and staff to feedback their views and experiences. People said managers were approachable and responsive.

The service continued to meet the characteristics of 'Good' in all the key questions. Therefore, our overall rating for the service is 'Good.' More information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection: Good (11 July 2016)

At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good. There was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating for the service.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor information and intelligence we receive about the service to ensure good quality care is provided to people. We will return to re-inspect in line with our inspection timescales for Good services. If we receive any information of concern, we may inspect sooner.