All inspections: Alston House - Care Quality Commission

Date of Assessment: 15 to 28 October 2024. The service is a residential care home service providing support to older people living with dementia. The service had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. Managers investigated incidents and people were protected and kept safe. Staff understood and managed risks. The facilities and equipment met people’s needs. There was a service improvement plan to improve the environment to ensure it is clean, maintained and any risks mitigated. Areas for renovation were identified with planned completion dates. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience. Staff received training and regular supervisions to maintain high-quality care. Staff managed medicines well. People’s needs were assessed taking account of their communication, personal and health needs. Care was based on latest evidence and good practice. People had enough to eat and drink to stay healthy. Staff worked agencies involved in people’s care for the best outcomes and smooth transitions when moving services. However, further development was required to ensure people’s health and wellbeing was effectively monitored to ensure positive outcomes for people. People understood their care and were asked for consent. Staff involved those important to people took decisions in people’s best interests where they did not have capacity. People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected their privacy and dignity, treated them as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and were encouraged to maintain important relationships. Staff responded to people in a timely way. The service supported staff wellbeing. People knew how to give feedback and were confident the service took it seriously and acted on it. People received fair and equal care and treatment. Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and supportive. At this inspection the rating has improved to good.

Alston House is a residential care service providing personal care and accommodation to older people, people with mental health needs, people living with dementia, people with learning disabilities, people with physical disabilities, people with sensory impairments and younger adults.

At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care to 17 people.

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

The provider had not fully developed effective systems to monitor the quality of care and support people experienced. Safe fire systems were not systematically in place.

Staff went through a recruitment process so that the provider only employed suitable staff, though the system was not robust.

Staff had received training to provide knowledge and skills which enabled them to do their job well and effectively meet people’s needs.

People felt safe with staff from the service. Staff understood how to protect people from the risk of harm and understood potential signs of abuse. Care plans provided guidance for staff to follow to meet people’s needs. Risk assessments reduced risks to people.

People received their medicines as prescribed and they were protected from the risk of infections through staff working practices. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs.

People were provided with care and support that ensured they had good nutrition and hydration. They had access to healthcare that maintained their health and wellbeing. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

Staff knew people well. People had developed positive relationships with staff which helped to ensure good communication and support. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity, they supported people to be independent.

People were involved when deciding how support was provided. Staff knew and understood the needs of the people using the service and care was provided based on their assessed needs. Staff were responsive to changes in people's needs to ensure they received help to maintain their health and well-being.

People knew how to raise any concerns or make a complaint. The provider had a system in place to respond to complaints and put things right. The complaints policy provided information about how these would be managed and responded to.

People and staff spoke positively about the management and leadership of the service. They said staff were very friendly and caring, and they had built good relationships with them. The service worked in partnership with external agencies to ensure people achieved good outcomes from their care and support.

Rating at last inspection:

This was the first inspection of the service under a new provider.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection.

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.

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

Alston House

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

27 January 2020

During a routine inspection