Watchdog criticises Gloucester-based Nursing Alliance after inspection
BED-RIDDEN muscular dystrophy sufferer Daniel Baker has welcomed a report calling for action to improve care at Gloucester-based Nursing Alliance.
The 38-year-old, who is on a ventilator and needs round-the-clock care, branded the service "ridiculous".
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Daniel Baker came to us when he needed money for a wheelchair. He has been stuck in his bed for two years with a form of muscular dystrophy. He got the money he needed and his wheelchair has arrived. Pictured with mum Julia Baker.
Now Nursing Alliance, which provides carers for people in their own homes and is based in High Orchard Street, has been criticised in a Care Quality Commission report.
A routine inspection, including a spot-check into six service users, on November 8, highlighted six key areas in need of action.
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It found a lack of care plans and risk assessments and not all staff had received safeguarding training.
The quality-monitoring system was not effective and staff were not protected from the risk of violence in people's homes.
Training records revealed 80 staff had not received safeguarding training. Eleven of the 18 staff checked had not received regular supervision as to the standard of care they were administering.
Patient's medical records were described as "not fit for purpose" in the report. There was no risk assessment in place for one patient with a history of violence.
Daniel, who lives in Cheltenham, was under the care of Nursing Alliance between 2009, when his full-time carer mum had a foot operation, and February last year. She continued to need help after her recovery.
"Qualified nurses came around 24 hours a day at first and that was ok," Daniel said.
"I need help washing, feeding and going to the toilet. I need help to cough if I pick up a chest infection and carers need to know how to look after the specialist machines.
"I must have had at least 20 carers. I had 11 in a week once, it was ridiculous."
Daniel's mum, Julia, claimed carers would miss appointments, forcing her to rely on her pensioner sister to help out.
"Sometimes Nursing Alliance would send someone round who didn't seem to have enough experience of how to care for him – what good was that?" she said.
"There was no hands-on training and that had a big effect. When Daniel is turned you have to be very careful his head doesn't hit the wall. Things like that needed to be passed on."
The report did highlight some positives, stating that a yearly satisfaction survey of service users was mainly positive.
Care and service development manager Jerry Brown said a full service review is due to be completed before a second assessment.
"We will be re-inspected and fully expect to be given a full bill of health," he said.
"I was brought in to make changes due to poor working practices implemented by the ex-registered manager who left post around three weeks before the inspection."
Inspectors said Mr Brown had been in post for six days when they visited and had already made an action plan to address issues of concern. The report said they had "confidence that the issues identified during our inspection would be resolved by the new manager".
Comments
by gloslass
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 6:00PM
“I have worked for nursing alliance an its not Shirley that u all should be blaming its the others Shirley wasn't just the manager u had Darren aswell whenever we had an issue or a problem in some service users Shirley would always try an sort things out if no staff she would go out an work. none of the others do Shirley cared for her service users and staff unlike others that would always sit.on their bum an do nothing an mess up the staff rota like they still do and send people to homes were they shouldn't be going their in first place . Just cause Shirley left them they are blaming her a lot of staff have left an service users cause they are a poor company to be with .”
by snowwhiite
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 1:38AM
“I have used care and nursing alliance to care for a close relative. I would recommend them again especially now as the previous manager has left. I also worked for the company a few years back and found that the main problem was that of the previous manager. In my opinion she was not a people person she lacked basic management skills and leadership something she is still obviously avoiding now. I have every faith that the new manager will resolve the issues and just hope that they can recover their good reputation that they previously had before they merged together as one. I am happy to see that Daniel appears well and settled with his new care provider.”
by mrswi
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 1:19AM
“"@bull007
I believe Shirley Dickerson was the registered manager of Nursing alliance at the time Daniel was having the above issues, I am surprised that he feels the need to highlight it now, he should be relieved that a new manager has taken over.”
by Carer_jules
Monday, January 07 2013, 10:49PM
“Actually I stand corrected..... There are 36 under "Gloucester"
20 inspected
2 failed to achieve all 5 standards.
One company only achieved 4 out of 5. Nursing Care Alliance achieved 1 out of 5. Not sure why my first search brought up 80?”
by Carer_jules
Monday, January 07 2013, 10:42PM
“@ gmerchant274 "....there are some worse ones than this i tell thee...."
Shouldn't we all be aiming for being the best and not being complacent about just NOT being the worst.
Incidentally, just to actually confirm what you said, I checked on the CQC website looking at all companies within 10 miles of Gloucester who offer a Care in Your Home service. There were 80. Of these 80, 57 have had their inspections done. Of these 57, 52 all passed all 5 of their categories, 4 of these 5 providers achieved a "score" of 4 out of the 5 standards. Nursing Care Alliance however only managed to get 1 out of the 5 standards passed as acceptable, and that seems to be mainly down to the carers that work there.”
by bull007
Monday, January 07 2013, 6:57PM
“@gmerchant274
Shirley Dickerson is not involved in his care, she joined his current agency long after he did & it has been stated by the MD that she will not be involved in his care at all. He is not an ex-employee but an ex-client who had reported issues to Nursing Alliance and hoped they would resolve them, the reason he is speaking now is because the CQC report was just released and he is extremely concerned for other patients wellbeing.
Sounds to me like you know a fair bit about Nursing Alliance, are you an employee, manager or the managing director by any chance?”
by gmerchant274
Monday, January 07 2013, 5:27PM
“The Citizen wont allow coments on this post about the truth”
by gmerchant274
Monday, January 07 2013, 5:23PM
“This is a joke, can no one see what i am seeing, that this is a digruntled ex employee whao is trying to stich up this agency??
Is it not strange the the ex manager of this agency is now supporting Mr Baker?
Is it also not strange that this goes back to 2009, why highlight it now, because they have an axe to grind?
I smell a rat and the Citizen have sucked it up!
Perhaps the Citizen should start printing all of Gloucestershire Care Homes inspection reports, because there are some worse ones than this i tell thee!”
by SandraPee
Monday, January 07 2013, 4:26PM
“Carer_jules. Good , I wish him well .”
by Carer_jules
Monday, January 07 2013, 2:49PM
“@bull007 ... not half as surprised as I was”