Alpha Health & Care Services Limited

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. We assessed a total of 7 quality statements from this key question. We have combined the scores for these areas with scores based on the rating from the last inspection, which was requires improvement. At this assessment this key question has changed to good. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

This service scored 72 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People felt staff knew how to support them safely. One person said, “Staff are very professional. They have the necessary skills they need and are very good at what they do.”

There was a strong learning culture at the service. The registered manager invested in sourcing face to face training for staff as well as online training. Staff were supported with their personal development and learning. The registered manager shared learning with staff from incident, accidents, complaints and safeguarding so that the service could continually improve and develop positive outcomes for people.

The registered manager had processes in place to learn from accident, incidents, safeguarding and complaints at the service. Staff had received training in how to report any issues and had the systems available to them to raise alerts directly with senior staff. The registered manager fully investigated any issues and lessons learned or changes needed to practice was implemented. Information was shared with staff through emails, supervisions and staff meetings

Staff told us once they received a referral they arranged to go and meet the person and their relatives. During this meeting they completed documentation to ensure they had all the information they needed to provide support safely.

The registered manager told us they carry out an initial assessment when taking on any new packages. The registered manager and care coordinator visit people in their homes and during this visit they check to ensure the person had everything they needed to be looked after safely at home. This included equipment, medicines and general items such as food and drink. During this meeting support needs were identified, and a care plan and risk assessment put in place for staff to follow.

People were protected from the risk of abuse and told us they felt safe using the service. A relative told us, “The staff are very good. [Relative] feel’s very safe when staff are at our house, and we have no concerns.”

Staff had received training in how to safeguard people and knew how to raise any concerns with management or external agencies.

The registered manager told us they had safeguarding policies and procedures in place and had a procedure for ‘whistle blowing’. During staff meetings and staff supervision meetings safeguarding was discussed with staff to ensure staff knew how to safeguard people and how important this was to their role.

People were involved in planning their care and managing risks. Care plan and risk assessments were person centred and aim to provide positive outcomes for people whilst maintaining their choice and independence. A relative told us “Staff completed an initial assessment of [relative’s] needs when the package first started, and the care package is now reviewed regularly.”

Risk assessments and care plans provided guidance to staff to mitigate risks to people. Following an initial meeting with people, risk assessments and care plans were made available for staff to read. One member of staff said, “We have all the information we need when we log in on our phones.”

The registered manager told us following the initial referral on the first visit they met with people and relatives to identify their support needs and formulate an initial care plan, along with tasks and call times. This was then uploaded onto their computerised care planning system for staff to access. In addition to this a hardcopy was left in people’s homes in their support folder in case there was an issue with phones, staff could read the hard copy.

We did not look at Safe environments during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We received positive feedback from people on staffing. One relative said, “Staff are really very good, they have never not turned up, we have never had a problem. We have never experienced a missed call and they are very rarely ever late.”

Staff told us they were very happy working at the service and with the support they received from the management team. A member of staff told us, “I don’t feel any pressure from the manager. I have enough time to complete my calls without feeling rushed. The manager is very supportive, and we get a rota well in advance.”

New staff had a full induction which included face to face training and shadowing more experienced staff. Staff were supported with supervision meetings and spot checks of their performance. The registered manager was supportive of staff developing their skills with nationally recognised qualifications and sourced external training for staff to enhance their skills. Appropriate checks were in place before staff started work including providing full work histories, references and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. DBS provide information including details about convictions and cautions held on the Police National Computer. The information helps employers make safer recruitment decisions

People were supported by staff who had received training in how to manage infections and infection prevention and control.

Staff told us when new people started using the service personal protective equipment (PPE) was supplied to them for staff to use. When PPE levels needed to be replenished this was collected by staff from the service office.

Staff had received training in infection prevention and control and were observed by senior staff periodically during spot checks to ensure they were following their training.

A relative we spoke with told us, “The staff are very good with medication. I have no concerns.”

Staff had received training in managing medicines and had their competency to do so checked. A member of staff told us, “I had my medicines training, and my manager carried out observations and checked my competency.”

The registered manager had a medicine management policy in place for staff to follow and all staff received training. If people were being supported with medicines and electronic medicine administration chart was put in place. This contained all the information staff needed to safely support people with medicines.