This was an announced inspection which took place on 13 and 14 July 2016. The service was previously inspected in November 2013 where we found all the regulations that we looked at had been complied with.Alexandra House-Bury is an independent domiciliary care agency based in premises that are situated close to Bury town centre. The agency provides help and support to adults with a variety of needs. The service operates seven days a week and provides a range of care services to people who live in their own homes. At the time of our inspection we were told the service was providing care for 70 people. Services provided include assistance with personal care, help with domestic tasks, the preparation of meals, medication administration and monitoring and carer support.
Alexandra House-Bury has a registered manager who was present on the day of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 told us they felt safe with the staff that supported them and felt the staff had the right skills and experience to meet their needs. They also spoke positively about the kindness and caring attitude of the registered provider, the registered manager and the staff. They also told us how helpful the administrator was.
We found sufficient suitably trained staff, that had been safely recruited were employed to ensure people received the support they required. We saw that staff received the essential training and support necessary to enable them to do their job effectively and be able to care and support people safely.
We saw that suitable arrangements were in place to help safeguard people from abuse. Guidance and training was provided for staff on identifying and responding to the signs and allegations of abuse. Staff were able to demonstrate their understanding of the whistle-blowing procedures (the reporting of unsafe and/or poor practice).
All the care staff who dealt with people’s medicines had received medicine management training and we found the system for managing medicines within people’s homes was safe.
We saw that appropriate arrangements were in place to assess whether people were able to consent to their care. The registered manager demonstrated a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The MCA provides legal safeguards for people who may be unable to make their own decisions. Records showed that all the staff had undertaken training in relation to the MCA.
People’s care records contained enough information to guide staff on the care and support required. The care records showed that risks to people's health and well-being had been identified, such as the risk of poor mobility and managing their own medicines. Risks were also assessed in relation to general safety issues within people’s homes. We saw that plans were in place to help reduce or eliminate any identified risk. People were involved in regular reviews of their care to ensure the care and support provided met their needs, preferences and wishes.
Arrangements were in place to help ensure the prevention and control of infection.
To help ensure that people received safe, effective care and support, systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. Systems were also in place for receiving, handling and responding appropriately to complaints.