CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Alyson House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, March 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with no breaches reported.
This was the home’s first inspection. It was unannounced and took place on 29 January 2018. One inspector spoke with six people, five relatives or friends, two professionals, the manager and four staff members. They also checked care files, staff records, medicines, staffing, complaints and quality checks.
The inspectors rated all five areas Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. They found enough trained staff, safe medicines procedures, clean and well-maintained premises, and good support with health, food and daily choices.
People were treated with kindness and respect. Their care plans used pictures and easy-read information, and people and relatives were involved in planning care. People were supported to keep family links, attend college or day services, enjoy hobbies and take part in local activities.
The report describes an effective management and improvement system. It also says the service had not dealt with end of life care or safeguarding concerns since it started, so inspectors could not assess those areas through past cases.
Safe staffing and medicines
The home had enough staff to meet people’s needs. Inspectors found that medicines were given as prescribed and records checked were properly completed.
“There were enough staff to support people to stay safe and to meet their assessed needs.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well and supported their dignity, privacy, independence and individual ways of communicating.
“People were well treated by staff who were kind, caring and compassionate.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people’s history, health needs, wishes and choices. People and relatives were involved in reviews and decisions.
“The care plans and risk assessments were person-centred and written in an easy read format” from the report
Active lives and community links
People chose activities and took part in college, day services, clubs, trips, holidays and local community activities.
“People had very good community links and regularly enjoyed trips within the local area.” from the report
Quality improvement
The manager used audits, surveys, meetings and incident reviews to make changes and learn from mistakes.
“There was an effective quality assurance system in place, which encouraged improvement.” from the report
Limited evidence about safeguarding responses
minorThere had been no safeguarding concerns since the service started, so inspectors could not assess how the home had handled an actual case. They did find that policies and reporting systems were in place.
“We could not assess how the service dealt with safeguarding issues as none had been raised since the service started.” from the report
- 01How would you respond if there were a safeguarding concern, and who would you report it to?
- 02How would you support my relative if they needed end of life care?
- 03What progress has been made with the plan to convert the top floor into a flat for people preparing for independent living?
- 04How are people supported to use computers, tablets or other technology now?
- 05How do you make sure care plans and risk assessments stay up to date when a person’s needs change?
This was the home’s first, unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions; the inspector spoke with people, relatives, professionals, the manager and staff and reviewed care, staffing, medicines and quality records. This explanation was written from the published report of 20 March 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 Alyson House
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- March 2018Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2017
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 1 February 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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52 live-in carers within about an hour of Southend-on-Sea
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 £1,200 a week. 45 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
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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.