CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Alison House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, August 2023
Alison House was rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind, responsive care but serious gaps in safety and leadership.
This was the first inspection since the service was registered. It was unannounced and took place on 27 and 28 June 2023. Inspectors spoke with staff, a young person remotely, a relative and professionals, and reviewed care, medicine, staffing and management records.
The home was rated Good for caring and responsive care. Staff treated young people with kindness and respect. Young people were supported with education, activities, relationships and personal interests. Medicines and infection control were also managed safely.
The home was rated Requires Improvement for safe and effective care, and Inadequate for being well-led. Inspectors found inconsistent risk management, safeguarding processes, consent and mental capacity records, and quality checks. These gaps meant there was an increased risk of harm and limited assurance that the service was being managed safely.
Kind and respectful staff
Staff showed compassion and kindness. Young people told inspectors they could talk to staff and felt listened to.
“Staff who we spoke with were committed to treating young people with compassion and kindness.” from the report
Activities and interests
Young people were supported to continue hobbies, take part in activities, access education and maintain important relationships.
“Young people had been supported to access a range of community activities and pursue their own interests.” from the report
Restraint kept limited
Restraint was used as a least restrictive option, with other support strategies used first where possible.
“The use of restraint had been kept to a minimum and strategies had often been used to ensure any intervention used was the least restrictive” from the report
Medicines managed safely
Inspectors found that medicines were stored, given and disposed of safely. Records showed medicines were given as prescribed.
“Medicines were stored, administered and disposed of safely.” from the report
Risk management
seriousRisks were not always clearly assessed or monitored. The approach to supporting self-injury was inconsistent, and diet and fluid needs were not always clearly recorded.
“The provider had not taken all reasonable steps to ensure a consistent approach to risk management. This placed people at risk of harm.” from the report
Safeguarding and training
seriousSafeguarding concerns and incidents were handled inconsistently. Inspectors could not be assured that staff had received the safeguarding training needed for their roles.
“Safeguarding incidents had been not been managed consistently because systems had not been effectively established to ensure safeguarding concerns were identified, managed and mitigated.” from the report
Consent and capacity
seriousMental capacity assessments and records of consent were not consistently completed or reviewed. There was limited evidence that practice had been checked against Court of Protection orders.
“There was a lack of consistency around how consent and capacity had been sought, reviewed and documented.” from the report
Weak oversight
seriousThe provider's checks did not reliably find or resolve problems. Some records were incomplete, policies were not always up to date and lessons were not consistently learned from incidents.
“The provider had failed to establish and operate effective governance systems to assess, monitor and mitigate the risks to young people's health, safety and welfare.” from the report
- 01What has changed in the Managing Self-Harm Policy since the inspection, and how do staff now record and review incidents?
- 02How do you make sure every young person's risks, including food and fluid needs, are clearly assessed, monitored and updated?
- 03How do you check that all staff have the safeguarding children training required for their roles?
- 04How are mental capacity assessments, consent decisions and Court of Protection orders now recorded and reviewed?
- 05What results have come from the quality improvement plan and the provider audit introduced after the inspection?
This was an unannounced first inspection that assessed all five CQC key questions and included infection prevention and control checks; there were four young people living at the home, but inspectors could not speak to them in person because they were on holiday. This explanation was written from the published report of 2 August 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.
Every inspection of Alison House
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- August 2023Requires improvementcurrent ratingSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Inadequate
- May 2021
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 20 May 2021.
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.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
38 live-in carers within about an hour of Gloucestershire
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 £1,030 to £1,360 a week. 31 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“She was very caring, kind and patient to all his needs, she built up a wondetful rapport with him, she was dedicated and was there for him through good times as well as through the tough times”
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.