Alliance Care Ltd

Updated 3 August 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats and specialist housing.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 11 April 2022 and ended on 27 June 2022. We visited the location’s office/service on 28 April 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three relatives to gain their views of the care provided to their family members. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, the provider’s representative and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. These included three people’s care records and records relating to the management of the service and the safety and quality of people’s care. For example, spot checks on staff practice, feedback provided by people and their relatives and minutes of staff meetings. We also looked at records showing us how staff were recruited and trained.

In addition, we reviewed a range of policies and procedures. These included policies and procedures relating to infection control, complaints management and whistleblowing.

Updated 3 August 2022

About the service

Alliance Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency, providing personal care to people in their own homes. The domiciliary care agency is registered to provide a service to people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorders, sensory impairment or physical disabilities and people who misuse drugs and alcohol. At the time of our inspection there were seven people using the service.

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.

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

People could rely on staff providing the care which had been planned. Relatives told us they were consulted about the management of their family members safety. Staff took action to ensure the risk of the spread of infections were reduced.

People’s needs had been assessed and plans had been put in place to support them. Staff received the training and support they needed to provide good care to people. Where people wanted assistance to obtain emergency health care staff supported them. 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.

Relatives told us their family members had developed good relationships with the staff supporting them. Staff said they valued the bonds they had built with the people they cared for. Staff assisted people in ways which promoted people’s rights to independence, dignity and privacy.

People’s care plans gave staff the information they needed to provide good care to people, such as their preferences, histories and goals. People’s care plans were reviewed as their needs changed. Systems were in place for taking learning from any complaints or suggestions, should these be made. Staff gave us examples showing how they had been supported to provide care to people at the end of their lives. Relatives told us they, too, had been supported at this key stage of their family member’s care.

Relatives told us the culture of the service meant they were encouraged to ask for additional support when they wanted this, and the provider responded to these requests where possible. The registered manager checked key areas of people’s care so they could be assured the care provided was safe and reflected people’s preferences.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we inspected

This service was registered with us on 29 November 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.