Apex Prime Care - St Johns Court

Updated 14 June 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by an inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought or rented and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection to ensure people we needed to speak with would be available.

Inspection activity started on 29 April 2022 and ended on 4 May 2022. We visited the location’s office on 29 April 2022.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

At the site visit we spoke with the registered manager and the regional manager. We observed staff supporting people in communal areas and reviewed a range of records. These included three people's care and medication records, staff supervision records and audits of the service.

We spoke with two people and seven relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with or received written feedback on the service from five day and night care staff. We received feedback from eight professionals who had involvement with the service.

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies, procedures and training data were reviewed.

Updated 14 June 2022

About the service

Apex Prime Care - St Johns Court provides domiciliary care and support to people living in this 'extra care' housing project. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation, in a shared site or building. At Apex Prime Care - St Johns Court this accommodation consists of individual flats which are rented, in a purpose built complex. The service provides support to older and younger adults who may be living with a physical disability, sensory impairment, dementia or mental health diagnosis. The service was supporting 26 people at the time of the inspection.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People and their relatives were happy with the care and support provided. Their feedback included, “I think they [staff] are brilliant” and “Yes this place is well run. The manager is absolutely fantastic. She’s so friendly, understanding and approachable.”

There was a strong person-centred culture. Staff were motivated to provide compassionate and kind care. Staff ensured people could express their views and were actively involved in decisions about their care. Staff upheld people’s privacy and dignity during the provision of their care. The registered manager led by example and enabled staff to provide person-centred, kind and compassionate end of life care, where people wished to remain in their own home.

The registered manager was passionate about their role and promoted a positive culture, focused on achieving good outcomes for people. They understood their role and had considered the potential risks associated with them becoming the registered manager for a second location. They monitored the quality of the service and had an action plan to address areas identified for improvement. Professionals provided very positive feedback about how well the registered manager and staff worked with them to ensure good outcomes for people.

People were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff had assessed, identified and managed potential risks. Staff had undertaken relevant training in order to administer people’s medicines safely. People were supported by enough staff who were suitable for their role. Processes were in place to manage the risk of people acquiring an infection. Incidents were reviewed and learning took place.

Staff had the skills and training they required to support people safely and effectively. The registered manager and staff worked closely with other organisations to ensure the best outcomes for people. They worked openly and collaboratively across services to understand and meet people's needs. People’s health needs were promptly identified and escalated where required. People were supported by staff to eat and drink enough.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People and staff reported they felt listened to and heard.

Staff ensured people received personalised care which respected their preferences and choices. People had limited interest in joining the well-being activities run by staff who were working with people to identify if they wanted any alternatives.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 18 March 2021 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 28 March 2019.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.