Background to this inspection
Updated
4 April 2020
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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
It was carried out by one adult social care inspector.
Service and service type:
Alvony House is a residential care home. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service at the time of the inspection had a registered manager in post. This meant the provider was legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection:
The inspection was undertaken on the 5 and 6 March 2020. The inspection was unannounced on the first day.
What we did:
We reviewed information we had received about the service. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about. The provider had completed a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection we spoke with seven people, three relatives, four members of staff and the registered manager. During the inspection we reviewed four people’s care and support records and four staff files. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service such as incident and accident records, questionnaires, recruitment and training records, policies, audits and complaints.
Updated
4 April 2020
About the service: Alvony House is a residential care home. People in residential care homes receive accommodation and personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
Alvony House accommodates up to 28 people. At the time of the inspection 21 people were living there.
People’s experience of using this service:
We have made a recommendation to the provider about undertaking suitable checks prior to staff working with vulnerable people.
People were happy and staff felt it was a nice place to work. Medicines were administered when required and records were accurate and up to date. People’s care plans contained risk assessments. People were supported by enough staff to meet their individual needs.
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.
Staff received training to ensure they had the skills and competency to undertake their roles. Staff received supervision and an annual appraisal, and all felt well supported. People had their nutritional needs met and care plans confirmed people’s dietary likes and dislikes. People’s views were sought including where they spent their time throughout the day.
People were supported by staff who were kind and caring and who knew them well. Care plans contained important information relating to the person’s routine and their goals and aspirations.
People felt able to raise a complaint should the need arise, and complaints were logged including actions taken. People’s views were sought with surveys and residents’ meetings. Referrals were made when required to health care professionals. The registered manager worked in partnership with people and their families as well as health and social care professionals.
Quality assurance systems were in place and incidents and accidents were logged including actions taken.
Rating at last inspection: The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 6 March 2019). There were three breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating. At this inspection we found the overall rating had changed from Requires Improvements to Good.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive. We will visit the service in line with our inspection schedule, or sooner if required.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk