About the service Alpha May Care First is a domiciliary care agency providing personal and nursing care to people in their own homes. The service covers two areas, Brighton and Hove, and Wakefield offering support to both children and adults with complex physical disabilities. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection, there were six people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were safe. Staff had received training in safeguarding and how to recognise the signs of harm or abuse. There had been no safeguarding issues since the service was registered. The registered manager kept oversight of any incidents and accidents to formulate learning and improvement.
People were involved in decisions about their care and this was delivered in a way which met their needs and preferences. One person told us, “We discussed [care plan] beforehand, and I went over it when it was written to ensure I was happy with it.”
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.
Staff knew people well and there were sufficient, appropriately trained staff to meet people’s needs effectively. Risks to people were assessed and clear guidance provided to staff in how to minimise these. People’s nutritional and hydration needs were met.
People were respected and consent sought before support started. Staff showed good awareness of people’s individual personalised needs, including those around protected characteristics such as religion.
The organisation was well-led by a proactive registered manager and provider. They promoted a positive staff culture where staff were valued and supported. Systems were in place to monitor and review the quality of the service. People and staff were able to give their views on how to drive improvement. Professionals spoke positively about the partnership working they experienced with Alpha May Care First.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 4 May 2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.