Archived: Alexandra House

Updated 8 December 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This comprehensive inspection was carried out by one inspector over two days. We visited people who used the service on the 8 November 2017 and visited the office to speak with the registered manager and staff, and view paperwork on the 14 November 2017.

We reviewed information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return (PIR) during the inspection visit. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We found the PIR was an accurate reflection of the service.

Prior to the office visit we reviewed the information we held about the service. We looked at the statutory notifications the service had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send to us by law. We contacted the local authority commissioners to find out their views of the service provided. Commissioners are people who contract care and support services paid for by the local authority. They had no new information to share with us.

Prior to our inspection visit we sent surveys to 25 people who used the service, 25 relatives and 18 staff. Surveys were returned from 8 people who used the service and 3 staff.

During our visits we spoke with nine people who used the service, one relative, the registered manager, the housing manager, the provider’s area manager, the senior care worker, and three care staff. We reviewed three people’s care records to see how their care and support was planned and delivered. We looked at four staff recruitment files, staff training records, records of complaints and records associated with the provider's quality checking systems.

Updated 8 December 2017

Alexandra House is an ‘extra care’ housing scheme. People live in their own homes where care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate the premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care service.

The personal care and support people required was provided at prearranged times by a team of staff who work at the scheme. There were 33 people living at Alexandra House at the time of our inspection visit. 14 people required assistance with personal care; this is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

Since the last inspection in April 2016 the provider of the service had changed. This was the first inspection of Alexandra House since the new provider, Making Space, took over in February 2017.

The inspection visits took place on 8 and 14 November 2017 and were announced. We told the provider we were coming so they could arrange for us to visit people who lived at Alexandra House and so they could arrange to be there.

A requirement of the provider’s registration is that they have a registered manager. There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People received care and support which protected them from avoidable harm and abuse. Risks to people’s safety were identified and measures were in place to help reduce these risks. People who required assistance to take their medicines were supported by staff who had received training to do this safely.

There was enough staff to allocate all the visits people required and to meet their needs safely. Recruitment checks were completed on new staff to ensure they were suitable to support people who used the service. Staff received regular training that provided them with the skills and knowledge to support people’s needs. Staff had regular checks on their practice to make sure they continued to support people safely.

People were visited by a team of regular staff that they knew and who they said were kind and considerate. Staff respected people's privacy and people said the support they received helped them to live independently in their own homes. Staff arrived around the time arranged and stayed long enough to do everything people needed without having to rush.

The registered manager and staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA). Staff respected people’s decisions and gained people’s consent before they provided personal care. When needed, arrangements were in place to support people to have enough to eat and drink and to manage their healthcare needs.

People were provided with care and support which was individual to them. The registered manager and staff had a good understanding of people’s individual needs and preferences. People’s care and support needs were kept under review and staff responded when there were changes in people's needs.

People were encouraged to raise concerns and were confident these would be responded to. The registered manager used feedback from people to assist them in making improvements to the service.

Staff said they received good support from the management team and that senior staff were always available to give advice. The registered manager and staff told us there was good team work and that they all worked well together. Feedback from people was sought and used as an opportunity for improving the service people received. There was effective and responsive processes for assessing and monitoring the quality of the service provided.