Alexandra House

We found the following examples of good practice.

Safe practices were in place for welcoming visitors to the home. These included rapid COVID-19 testing, personal protective equipment (PPE), health and symptom checks and hand hygiene. Vaccination status was checked for all visiting professionals and records of staff vaccinations were maintained. Staff testing for COVID-19 was at the frequency in line with government guidance and a process was in place for monitoring.

People told us they happy and felt safe living at Alexandra House. We spoke with people informally as we walked through the home who were complimentary about the staff. We observed some kind interactions between staff and people. The manager and staff at the home had worked hard to keep people safe. Policies and procedures within the home were robust and frequent monitoring meant that the home worked safely and within good practice and government guidelines. The manager told us they felt lucky and had a good team of staff saying, “The staff team are superb and uplifting.”

Supplies of PPE were in good supply, stock checks maintained, and we observed staff wearing this correctly. Staff had training in infection prevention and control and were shown how to put on and take off PPE correctly. The home was a good standard of cleanliness. Emergency procedures in place meant that the home could operate under pressures such as an outbreak or staff shortages. Domestic staff worked hard to keep all areas of the home clean and tidy including hight touch points and deep cleaning. Detailed cleaning schedules meant it was easy to keep track of hygiene practices within the home.

People were supported to maintain contact with their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic. This included assessing each individual persons needs and working to ensure their visits took place in the most comfortable location. Visiting restrictions changed and the home adapted its policies, practices and communicated to people and their relatives verbally, email or by telephone. Risk assessments were completed for all aspects of care and support including additional risks related to COVID-19. Specific risk assessments had been completed for staff. The manager told us they had a good working relationship with external health and medical practitioners, this included regular checks of the health and medical needs.

Alexandra House is a care home for up to 58 older people. It had opened a year before and was providing personal care to 38 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. Nursing care was not provided.

The premises had been purpose built to replace the provider’s previous care home on the same site. People were accommodated on two floors, the upper floor having recently opened. The ground floor specialised in providing care to people living with dementia.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were safe and protected from avoidable harm. Staff understood their responsibilities for safeguarding adults, food hygiene and infection control. Medicines were managed safely. The premises and equipment were clean and well maintained. There were enough staff on duty to ensure people’s needs were met. Recruitment checks were thorough.

Care from staff who were themselves well supported promoted a good quality of life. Needs were assessed thoroughly. Appetising food met people’s preferences and dietary requirements. People had access to health care. Communal areas and bedrooms were spacious and well-lit.

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 and visitors praised the caring approach of the staff and confirmed that staff supported them to do what they could for themselves. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. They were attentive, offering reassurance and assistance tactfully when people were upset or in need of assistance.

People and relatives praised their or their loved one’s care. They enjoyed optional arranged activities and were supported to access community facilities. An individualised approach to end of life care ensured this reflected what was important to people. People and relatives felt comfortable to raise concerns, which were addressed promptly.

The service was consistently managed. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care. People and visitors praised the happy atmosphere. Staff were enthusiastic. There were robust systems for quality monitoring and improvement. The registered manager was open and honest with people, families and staff when things went wrong.

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 30 April 2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection, as the service had been registered for a year.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.