13 September 2023
During a routine inspection
Keychange Charity Alexander House Care Home is a care home that provides care and support for up to 20 people. At the time of our inspection there were 15 older people using the service including those with dementia. The care home accommodates people in one building.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
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.
People, their relatives and staff said that Keychange Charity Alexander House Care Home was a safe place to live and for staff to work in. Any risks to people were regularly assessed and reviewed. This meant people could take acceptable risks, enjoy their lives and live safely. Accidents, incidents and safeguarding concerns were reported, investigated and recorded. There were sufficient appropriately recruited staff to meet people’s needs. Trained staff safely administered medicines and prompted people to take them. When required staff used Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) effectively, safely and the infection prevention and control policy was up to date.
People and their relatives told us effective care was provided. People were not subject to discrimination and their equality and diversity needs were met. Staff were well trained and supervised. People and their relatives thought the care staff provided was good and met people’s needs. People were encouraged by staff, to discuss their health needs, any changes to them, and concerns were passed on to the management and appropriate health care professionals. This included any required transitioning of services if people’s needs changed. Staff protected people from nutrition and hydration risks and they were encouraged to choose healthy and balanced diets that also met their likes, dislikes and preferences.
People were provided with care and support in a friendly manner and staff paid attention to small details that made all the difference. People felt respected and staff acknowledged their privacy, dignity, and confidentiality. They were encouraged and supported to be independent and do things for themselves, where possible. This improved their quality of life by promoting their self-worth. Staff cared about people, were compassionate and passionate about the people they provided a service for.
The provider was responsive to people and their needs were assessed, reviewed and care plans were in place that included any communication needs. Staff provided people with person-centred care and they had choices, and were encouraged to follow their routines, interests and maintain contact with relatives and friends. They were also supported to interact with others living at the home so that social isolation was minimal. People and their relatives were given appropriate, easy to understand information about the home to make their own decisions regarding whether they wished to move in. Complaints were recorded and investigated.
The home’s interim management and leadership were visible and there was a culture of openness, positivity and honesty. Currently there was not a registered manager in place, although interviews were taking place during the inspection. The provider’s vision and values were clearly set out, understood by staff and they followed them. Areas of staff and management responsibility and accountability were identified, at all levels and a good service maintained and regularly reviewed. Thorough audits took place and records were kept up to date. Wherever possible community links and working partnerships were established and kept up to further minimise social isolation. Healthcare professionals told us that the service was well managed and met people’s needs in a professional, open and friendly way.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Why we inspected
The last rating for this service was Good (published 20 June 2018).
We undertook this inspection to check whether the service was continuing to provide a good, rated service to people.
The overall rating for the service has remained Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Keychange Charity Alexander House Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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 COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.