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Inspection on 24/11/09 for Princess Alexandra House

Also see our care home review for Princess Alexandra House for more information

This is the latest available inspection report for this service, carried out on 24th November 2009.

it is an annual review prepared by CQC after examining previous reports and information from the provider. At the time of this report, CQC judged the service to be Excellent.

The inspector made no statutory requirements on the home as a result of this inspection and there were no outstanding actions from the previous inspection report.

What follows are excerpts from this inspection report. For more information read the full report on the next tab.

Annual service review Name of Service: Princess Alexandra House The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: three star excellent service A quality rating is our assessment of how well a care home, agency or scheme is meeting the needs of the people who use it. We give a quality rating following a full review of the service. We call this review a ‘key’ inspection We do an annual service review when there has been no key inspection of the service in the last 12 months. It does not involve a visit to the service but is a summary of new information given to us, or collected by us, since the last key inspection or annual service review.   Has this annual service review changed our opinion of the service?   No You should read the last key inspection report for this service to get a full picture of how well outcomes for the people using the service are being met. The date by which we will do a key inspection: Name of inspector: Jennie Williams Date of this annual service review: 1 2 1 0 2 0 0 9 Annual Service Review Page 1 of 6 Information about the service Address of service: 34 Preston Park Avenue Brighton East Sussex BN1 6HG 01273565691 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address:   www.princessalexandrahouse.co.uk Mrs Carole Franklin Name of registered provider(s): Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : old age, not falling within any other category Conditions of registration: Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 18 The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is: 18 The registered person may provide the following category/ies of service only: Care home only - PC to service users of the following gender: Either Whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following categories: Old age, not falling within any other category - OP Have there been any changes in the ownership, management or the No service’s registration details in the last 12 months? If yes, what have they been: Date of last key inspection: Date of last annual service review (if applicable): Brief description of the service Princess Alexandra House is a care home registered for eighteen (18) places for people over sixty-five (65) years of age. No nursing care is provided at this home. District nurses will provide nursing input for those residents requiring this. Most residents currently residing at the home remain fairly independent. Princess Alexandra House is located in a quiet residential area of Preston Park. There is limited parking at the home, however free unrestricted street parking is available. Annual Service Review Page 2 of 6 There are some local amenities in the area and there is nearby access to public transport. Residents bedrooms are located over three floors. There is a passenger shaft lift that accesses all floors. One room is located on a mezzanine level and a stair lift is available, if needed, to assist this individual to access the main floor. There are twelve single rooms of which nine are provided with en suite facilities. Three rooms are for double occupancy, however these rooms are used as single rooms unless two people choose to share a room eg. couples. Double rooms are provided with en suite facilities. Two of the double rooms have step in showers in the en suite. For the single rooms without en suite facilities, no more than two rooms share the nearby toilet facilities. There are suitable numbers of toilet and bathing facilities located throughout the home to meet the needs of residents. There is a good-sized dining room and lounge room. Residents have access to a well-maintained garden area. Residents need to be able to mobilise on an incline to access the garden summerhouse. Current fees are available from the provider. There are additional fees: hairdressing, chiropody, newspapers/magazines and personal toiletries (at cost). Annual Service Review Page 3 of 6 Service update since the last key inspection or annual service review: What did we do for this annual service review? We looked at all the information that we have received, or asked for, since the last key inspection or annual service review. This included: . The annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) that was sent to us by the service. The AQAA is a self-assessment that focuses on how well outcomes are being met for people using the service. It also gave us some numerical information about the service. . Information we have about how the service has managed any complaints. . What the service has told us about things that have happened in the service, these are called notifications and are a legal requirement. . The previous key inspection and the results of any other visits that we have made to the service in the last 12 months. . Relevant information from other organisations. . What other people have told us about the service. What has this told us about the service? The last key inspection was undertaken on the 04 October 2007. We did an Annual Service Review (ASR) on the 15 October 2008. The home returned the annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) when we asked for it. This was completed by the Registered Provider/Manager. It was clear and gave us information we required, however some additional information requested about individuals were not completed. It identified areas that they have improved in the last 12 months and that the manager uses the viewpoints of residents, visitors and staff to influence practices within the home. The last report and ASR was positive about the services provided at Princess Alexandra House and the AQAA identifies that they are continually looking for ways of further improving the service. Some of the changes they have made as a result of listening to people are to regularly change the menus after requests during residents meetings and have added some further social activities. The AQAA identifies that the home is aware of equality and diversity issues and delivers care with a person centred approach. The AQAA identifies that one staff member has left employment in the last 12 months. This very low turnover of staff assists in enabling staff and residents to develop and maintain a good rapport with each other and promotes continuity of care. Staff continue to receive relevant training to their roles and all but two care staff have National Vocation Qualification (NVQ) level 2 or above. The AQAA demonstrates the homes commitment to promoting equality and diversity within the service by way of recognising the people who live at the home as individuals with their own strengths and needs. The home has a system in place for monitoring its own standards of care delivery which includes regular residents meetings and feedback questionnaires. The AQAA identifies that there have not been any complaints or Safeguarding Adults alerts/investigations made in the last 12 months. Annual Service Review Page 4 of 6 We have been receiving notifications from the service as required by regulation that have not given us any cause for concerns that the service provided has declined. No information has been shared with us from other organisations to identify that residents are not continuing to have excellent outcomes. What are we going to do as a result of this annual service review? There will be no change to the inspection plan and we will do a key inspection by 04 October 2010. However, we can inspect the service at any time if we have concerns about the quality of the service or the safety of the people using the service. Annual Service Review Page 5 of 6 Reader Information Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Annual service review CQC General Public 0870 240 7535 (national contact centre) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. The content of which can be found on our website. Helpline: Telephone: 03000 616161 Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk Web: www.cqc.org.uk We want people to be able to access this information. If you would like a copy of the findings in a different format or language please contact our helpline or go to our website. Copyright © (2009) Care Quality Commission (CQC). This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, free of charge, in any format or medium provided that it is not used for commercial gain. This consent is subject to the material being reproduced accurately and on proviso that it is not used in a derogatory manner or misleading context. 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