What the CQC found at Alexandra Court Care Centre

Inspectors found that medicines were administered as prescribed and that storage, administration and recording systems were in place.

“People's medicines were administered safely, and staff responded appropriately to accidents and incidents.” from the report

The home completed appropriate recruitment checks. Staff received induction, regular training, supervision and development opportunities.

“Staff received an induction which included shadowing experienced staff and completed regular training appropriate for their role.” from the report

Staff made referrals when needed and worked with healthcare professionals. Inspectors received positive feedback about the timeliness of referrals and staff following advice.

“The management team and staff engaged with healthcare professionals about people's needs to promote good outcomes.” from the report

The home was generally clean and well maintained. Personal protective equipment was available and used when needed.

“The home had a good standard of cleanliness.” from the report

Several incidents had not been referred to the local authority safeguarding team. Inspectors said this placed people at risk of harm and abuse.

“The failure to ensure safeguarding systems and processes were operated effectively placed people at risk of harm and abuse.” from the report

Communal areas were sometimes left without staff. People, relatives and staff raised concerns about delays in answering buzzers.

“However, multiple times during the inspection, communal areas were not staffed which meant at times there were no staff available to manage risks and support people when they needed assistance.” from the report

Some care plans and risk assessments were missing, inaccurate or conflicting. This could make it harder for staff, including agency staff, to understand people's needs.

“Care plans and risk assessments were not always accurate or detailed and some were not in place.” from the report

Some people waited a long time for drinks, and records of food and fluid intake were not always accurate. Care plans also contained conflicting information about some people's diets.

“Drinks were not always available to people when they needed them.” from the report

The home's checks had not identified or fixed all the problems found. Not all incidents that should have been reported to CQC were notified.

“The provider's systems had failed to ensure all notifiable incidents were reported to CQC.” from the report