Alice Grange

Updated 12 February 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice is safe and that services are compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 27 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection and spent this time planning and making telephone calls to people who live at Alice Grange and their relatives to seek their feedback on the care they receive.

Updated 12 February 2022

About the service

Alice Grange is a care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 80 people across three floors. One of the floors provides care to people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection visit there were 41 people living at the home.

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

We had significant and multiple concerns at our last inspection and rated the home inadequate in four key questions and overall. We also found five breaches of the Health and Social Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 at that time.

Immediately following our last inspection, the provider took action to begin making the necessary improvements including placing a voluntary suspension on any new admissions to the care home. The provider brought in a team of senior support managers and clinical staff to help address the significant concerns and to put in place a plan of action to make the necessary improvements. This involved making improvements to governance and oversight arrangements, and implementation of systems and processes to safely assess and manage risks to people. Staffing levels were reviewed and immediately increased.

At this inspection we found significant improvements. The service had clear and improved leadership and there was increased stability and a changed culture which was commented on by many people, staff and stakeholders we spoke with.

People using the service told us they were happy living at Alice Grange and with the care they received. People felt safe and well-treated by staff. Staff were kind and considerate. Staffing levels were kept under review to ensure they were sufficent. Staff were recruited safely. We have made a recommendation regarding the on going monitoring of staffing levels by the provider.

Medicines were managed safely. Staff wore personal protective equipment (PPE) and clear guidance was in place regarding keeping people safe from the risks associated with COVID-19. The environment was clean and well maintained.

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.

Many people, relatives and staff were positive in their feedback about the leadership of the home and the quality of care delivered. A member of staff told us, “I can honestly say I have never been happier and more proud of my team than the one I’m in at Alice Grange. I would like to say that the knowledge of [people] and the dedication of the carers is outstanding, but it doesn’t stop there. From the domestic staff to the chefs, the hosts/hostesses and activities team, they all treat [people] as individuals, with dignity and respect. And even though the management team have not been in post long they too know the residents, the staff, [provider] policies and local guidelines but most of all they care.”

Feedback we received was positive about how the service was being managed and the significant improvements made. Staff felt very well supported by the registered manager. The registered manager and provider completed regular audits and checks, which ensured levels of quality and safety were maintained at the home. The registered manager understood and met their regulatory responsibilities.

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

Rating at last inspection (and update)

The last rating for this service was Inadequate (published 31 March 2020) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed a fortnightly action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. We also held monthly virtual meetings with the provider to check on the progress being made. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

This service has been in Special Measures since 31 March 2020. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

We undertook this comprehensive inspection to check the provider had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. The overall rating for the service has changed from Inadequate to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Alice Grange on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.