# Alpha Health & Care Services Limited

Alpha Health & Care Services Limited is a CQC-regulated home-care agency in Southend-on-sea.

## CQC Ratings

| Key question | Rating |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | Good |
| Safe | Good |
| Effective | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Good |
| Well-led | Good |

Rating published: 09/10/2024

## Practical info

- Postcode: SS1 2BB
- Registered manager: Rotimi, Omotunde
- Local authority: Southend-on-Sea
- Region: East
- City: Southend-on-sea
- Last CQC check: 09/Oct/2024 - 00:00

## Inspection findings

### Other

- Finding
  - Evidence: Management demonstrated a good understanding of their duty of candour responsibilities.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- Finding
  - Evidence: The registered manager held staff meetings to discuss issues and used phone applications to allow staff to send alerts if needed.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- Finding
  - Evidence: The registered manager had improved notifications of safeguarding incidents since the last inspection, now raising these in line with regulations.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- Finding
  - Evidence: Staff had received training in infection prevention and control and PPE was available for use during care visits.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- Finding
  - Evidence: Safeguarding concerns had been raised appropriately with the local authority and the registered manager worked with them to investigate concerns.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- **communication_with_families** _(minor)_
  - Evidence: People told us they did not know which carer would be coming to provide care as they were not given any rota or timings for care calls.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- **person_centred_care** _(moderate)_
  - Evidence: Care had not been planned in a person-centred way, with people being given 2-hour call windows of when they may receive care.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- **staff_competency** _(moderate)_
  - Evidence: Staff training had not always been consistently completed or their competency checked.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- **staff_training** _(moderate)_
  - Evidence: One member of staff told us they had not received practical moving and handling training until a few months after they commenced work.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- **supervision_appraisal** _(moderate)_
  - Evidence: We found limited evidence of staff supervision, or spot checks being completed consistently, and staff did not have an induction to the service recorded.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- **governance** _(critical)_
  - Evidence: There had not been robust governance systems in place at the service over the previous 12 months.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- **missed_or_late_visits** _(moderate)_
  - Evidence: The time between calls can be over 14 hours especially if there has been an early evening call then a late morning call, the next day.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- **missed_or_late_visits** _(moderate)_
  - Evidence: Sometimes staff are late which means my medicines can be late, there may only be an hour gap between the morning and lunch call because the morning call is so late.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- **record_keeping** _(critical)_
  - Evidence: Care documentation did not contain all the details staff needed to support people safely. This placed people at risk of receiving unsafe care and support.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- **medication_management** _(moderate)_
  - Evidence: Audits of medication records lacked detail of any actions taken for example to explain gaps in recording, excessive use of PRN or if time specific medicines were administered.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- **medication_management** _(critical)_
  - Evidence: Where people were being supported by staff to receive their medicines there was not always a medicine administration chart (MAR) and accompanying risk assessment in place.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- **care_planning** _(critical)_
  - Evidence: Health needs people may need support with, such as diabetes had no supporting documentation, care plans or risk assessments for staff to follow.
  - Published: 2023-04-15
- Finding
  - Evidence: Positive partnership working with health and social care professionals.
  - Published: 2022-07-27
- Finding
  - Evidence: Staff felt valued, supported and able to contact management 24/7.
  - Published: 2022-07-27

### safe

- Finding
  - Learning lessons when things go wrong
  - Published: 2022-07-27
- Finding
  - Preventing and controlling infection
  - Published: 2022-07-27
- Finding
  - Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuse
  - Published: 2022-07-27
- Finding
  - Using medicines safely
  - Published: 2022-07-27
- Finding
  - Staffing and recruitment
  - Published: 2022-07-27
- Finding
  - Assessing risk, safety monitoring and management
  - Published: 2022-07-27

### well_led

- Finding
  - Continuous learning and improving care; Working in partnership with others
  - Published: 2022-07-27
- Finding
  - Engaging and involving people using the service, the public and staff
  - Published: 2022-07-27
- Finding
  - Duty of candour
  - Published: 2022-07-27
- Finding
  - Promoting a positive culture that is person-centred, open, inclusive and empowering
  - Published: 2022-07-27
- Finding
  - Managers and staff being clear about their roles, and understanding quality performance, risks and regulatory requirements
  - Published: 2022-07-27

## Source

Data published by the [Care Quality Commission](https://www.cqc.org.uk/) under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Canonical page: https://homecarecompass.co.uk/agency/1-6032856740

HomeCare Compass is an independent guide and is not affiliated with the CQC.