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Alina Homecare - Ipswich

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Unit E, Bristol Court, Betts Avenue, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, IP5 3RY (01473) 372822

Provided and run by:
Alina Homecare Services Limited

Latest inspection summary

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Background to this inspection

Updated 15 December 2022

The inspection

We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

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

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

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

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be available to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 24 November 2022 and ended on 5 December 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed our systems and information we held about the service. 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 took this into account when we inspected the service and made judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with 3 people who used the service, three relatives and 1person’s representative about their experience of the care provided. We also had contact with 6 members of staff including care staff, the registered manager, the field care supervisor and one of the providers quality assurance team. We reviewed a range of records. This included care plans and a variety of other records relating to the management of the service were also considered as part of the inspection.

This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location’s office. We used technology such as video calls to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 15 December 2022

About the service

Alina Homecare – Ipswich is a domiciliary care service providing care to people in their own homes. At the time of this inspection there were 9 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

There were sufficient numbers of safely recruited staff available to meet people's needs. People received their care visits at the times they expected, for the length of time agreed, and mostly from staff they were familiar with.

Medicines were managed safely, and staff were appropriately trained. People and their relatives were assured that safe infection control measures were taken by staff such as wearing PPE and following infection control procedures to reduce the risks of infection.

People's support needs were assessed regularly and planned to ensure they received the support they needed. We received positive feedback from people who used the service and relatives about the care provided. People said they felt treated with dignity, respect and had their independence promoted as required.

Staff enabled people 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.

The service was well-led by a management team who were passionate about delivering quality care and achieving the best possible outcomes for people. A relative told us, “The [registered] manager came out and had a chat about our requirements, their aim is to be the best and they have high expectations of the service.”

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

Rating at last inspection The service was registered with us on 13 August 2021, 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.