CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Alexandra House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found thorough safeguarding, risk management, recruitment, medicine and infection control processes. People said they felt safe and there were enough staff.
- Effective?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this focused visit. Its previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
- Caring?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this focused visit. The report nevertheless records that people spoke highly of staff and received compassionate and empowering care.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this focused visit. The report says people had choice, activities and support tailored to their wishes.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found visible leadership, a positive culture, effective governance and regular involvement of people in developing the service.
What inspectors found, December 2023
Rated Good; inspectors found a safe, well-led home where people had choice, support and active lives.
This was an announced focused inspection on 17 and 20 November 2023. One inspector reviewed information, spoke with five people, observed staff, and checked care, medicine, staffing and quality records.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found that people were protected from abuse, risks were reviewed, medicines were managed safely, and staffing was adjusted to meet people's needs.
People were supported to make choices, build independence and take part in activities in the local community. Inspectors also found a positive culture, effective checks on quality, and managers who listened to people's views.
The overall rating was Good. Safe and Well-led remained Good, as they were at the previous inspection. The other three areas were not inspected during this visit and their previous ratings were used.
Personalised environment
The home was clean, tidy and spacious. People's flats were personalised and the building was kept to a good standard.
“The environment was clean, tidy and spacious. People's flats reflected the people who lived in them with photographs, artwork, and personalised decorative accessories on display.” from the report
Choice and independence
People were supported to make choices, take positive risks and build daily living skills. They could take part in activities and outings when they wanted.
“People had choice in all aspects of their lives and were supported to do all they wanted to do when they wanted to do it.” from the report
Safe medicines support
Inspectors found that medicines were stored, given and recorded appropriately. People said they received them on time.
“Thorough processes were in place to ensure medicines were stored, administered and recorded appropriately.” from the report
Positive culture
The manager and staff promoted a supportive culture in which people were valued, listened to and encouraged to live their best possible lives.
“People received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their individual needs.” from the report
Effective oversight
The home's checks and audits were used to monitor quality, identify improvements and respond to changing needs.
“Governance processes were thorough and effective. They were used to monitor, assess and drive forward improvements to ensure the service consistently provided good quality care.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you assess and support my relative's individual risks while helping them build independence?
- 02How will you make sure my relative receives their medicines safely and on time?
- 03How do you adjust staffing when people want to take part in activities, hobbies or outings?
- 04What activities and community opportunities would be available for my relative?
- 05How would my relative's views be recorded and used to change their care or the service?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings were carried over from the last inspection published 8 August 2018. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 December 2023 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, August 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some staff training and supervision time still needing attention.
The inspection was announced and took place on 4 July 2018. One inspector visited the home, spoke with people, relatives, staff and managers, and reviewed care plans, medicines records, staff files, audits and other records.
The home was supporting six people with learning disabilities in seven self-contained flats. Inspectors rated all five areas Good: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. They found enough staff, safe medicines practice, clean surroundings and care plans that reflected people's choices and needs.
People were supported to stay independent, take part in activities and maintain relationships. Inspectors also found kind staff, good healthcare support and a manager who was approachable and used audits and feedback to improve the service.
There were some areas to improve. Staff gave mixed feedback about having time to complete training and attend supervision, and some felt staff meetings were not frequent enough. The home did not yet have a registered manager, although an application had been submitted.
Safe medicines
Inspectors checked three people's medicines records and found them complete. Storage, administration and recording were all judged safe.
“Medicines were stored, managed and administered safely.” from the report
Person-centred support
Care plans described people's likes, dislikes, communication needs and choices. People were involved in reviews and supported to set and achieve personal goals.
“Care plans were developed with people at the point of moving into the home and were an accurate reflection of their personalities, likes, dislikes and choices.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Inspectors observed positive relationships between staff and people. Staff respected privacy and dignity and encouraged independence.
“People's rights to dignity and privacy were respected by staff.” from the report
Community involvement
People were supported to take part in work, social groups, college, holidays and activities in the wider community.
“People took part in regular voluntary work and social groups and clubs.” from the report
Positive management
People, relatives and staff said the manager was approachable. Audits, feedback and incident reviews were used to identify improvements.
“Audits had been effective in identifying and generating improvements in the service, for example regarding medicines and infection control.” from the report
Time for staff training
needs fixingSome staff said they did not have enough time during shifts to complete written training. The manager said time would be set aside and sent evidence after the inspection.
“We struggle to find time to complete some of the training as some of it we have to do is written and needs to be done while we are on the rota.” from the report
Supervision was not always regular
needs fixingInspectors found that some staff supervisions had not taken place as regularly as others. The manager said this would be addressed.
“There were some supervisions not completed as regularly as others.” from the report
No registered manager yet
minorThe home did not have a registered manager when inspectors visited. The manager had applied and was waiting for a CQC interview.
“At the time of our inspection, the service did not a registered manager in place.” from the report
Staff meetings
minorStaff gave mixed feedback about team meetings. Some thought they were useful, while others felt they did not happen often enough.
“Some staff told us they valued these meetings and others felt they were not often enough.” from the report
- 01Has the manager now completed the CQC registration process?
- 02How is protected time for staff training provided during shifts?
- 03How often does each staff member receive supervision, and how is missed supervision followed up?
- 04How often are staff meetings held now, and how are staff views acted on?
- 05How will you support my relative's individual goals, activities, relationships and independence?
This was the first inspection since registration in 2017 and covered all five key questions, including the care and premises of the home. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 August 2018 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Alexandra House
2 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- December 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2018GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2017
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 28 June 2017.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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45 live-in carers within about an hour of Stockton-on-Tees
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £980 to £1,190 a week. 40 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“I found Alison to be kind , caring helpful concencious... Alison has a heart of gold”
“Petty introduced herself to Mum every time she was caring for her and responded very quickly to Mum if she was distressed in the night.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.