Inspection on 21/01/10 for Alexandra Court
Also see our care home review for Alexandra Court for more information
This inspection was carried out on 21st January 2010.
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.
Annual service review
Name of Service: Alexandra Court The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: three star excellent service 1 0 1 2 2 0 0 8 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: John Mullen Date of this annual service review: 1 6 1 2 2 0 0 9 Annual Service Review Page 1 of 6 Information about the service
Address of service: Howard Street Pemberton Wigan Lancashire WN5 8BD 01942215555 01942738753 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address:
Name of registered provider(s): Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : dementia old age, not falling within any other category physical disability Conditions of registration: Mr Keith Lowe Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 40 0 40 0 40 0 The registered person may provide the following category of service only: Care home with nursing - Code N. 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 - Code OP, Physical disability - Code PD. The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is: 40. 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 Alexandra Court is a care home situated within the Pemberton area and is close to local shops and other facilities nearby. Public transport is easily accessible. Access to the motorway network is also nearby. The home is purpose built and all personal accommodation is provided in single rooms each with an en suite facility.
Annual Service Review Page 2 of 6 1 0 1 2 2 0 0 8 Accommodation is provided on two floors with a passenger lift allowing access to the upper floor. Alexandra Court provides Intermediate Care that has been commissioned by the Primary Care Trust and Social Services Department. Care arrangements can be used to facilitate earlier discharge from hospital following an acute episode of illness; alternatively, it can provide care to prevent admission to hospital for people who have a short term episode of ill health, which does not require specialist medical intervention. All admissions have a time-limited stay, maximum being six weeks. No fees are directly payable by patients for the intermediate care service provided at Alexander Court. 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? The annual service review for Alexandra Court Care Home included the following: An annual quality assurance assessment document (AQAA) was sent to us by the service. The AQAA is a self assessment and a dataset that is filled in once a year by all providers and is one of the main ways we get information from providers about how they are meeting outcomes for people using their service. The AQAA also provides us with statistical information about the service, trends and patterns in social care. Surveys of users of the service. A review of what the service has told us about since the last key inspection. A review of the findings of the last unannounced key inspection. What has this told us about the service? The AQAA was completed promptly and to a good standard. It confirmed that care is based upon a specific, individualised assessment of users needs. It further confirmed that there is an ongoing review of staffing levels and that work continues on this as there remains some deficits in the supply of therapeutic services which the home hopes to correct. The AQAA commits the home to further developing the patients and relatives views of the service as a means of improving practice. It confirmed that there is a multidisciplinary approach to care and that the care is individualised through specific care planning and goal setting. This is also reflected in individualised therapeutic rehabilitation of service users. The AQAA states that the home has full policies and procedures to safeguard users of its service and this includes staff training in safeguarding matters. It also states that there has been a full refurbishment programme of the home resulting in a good quality of environment which balances the need for a homely setting and a clinical one. The AQAA confirmed that there has been an increase in the dependency and complex needs of users but that it maintains appropriate and increased staffing levels to meet these needs. The document shows that there is a high proportion of qualified care staff and that has only received three complaints over the last twelve months. Surveys were sent to users of the service but none were returned. This home offers intermediate care for a maximum of six weeks and, therefore, names of users are difficult to identify. An examination of the service folder for this home since the last key inspection revealed that there has been a minimum of information that needed to be sent to us. There were two safeguarding matters that have referred to us and these showed that the home dealt with these matters correctly and speedily. One of these matters Annual Service Review Page 4 of 6 remains outstanding as it is subject to a police investigation. Otherwise, the matters referred were routine and did not cause any concern. There has been no need to visit this home since the last key inspection. A review of the findings of the last key inspection confirmed that it was rated a 3 star, excellent service. Of the seven outcome areas six were rated as good and one as excellent. The report resulted in no requirements or recommendations. What are we going to do as a result of this annual service review? The annual service review has shown that the home continues to provide an excellent service to its users. There have been no issues highlighted as a result of this process. The Care Quality Commission will continue to monitor information about this service and will carry out an inspection when required. We can inspect the home at any time if we have any concerns about the quality of the service or the safety of the people using it. 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:
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