Creative Support - Station View

Updated 29 October 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 carried out by 2 inspectors.

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 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.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

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

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 22 September 2022 and ended on 4 October 2022. We visited the location’s office on 22 September 2022. We gathered the views of people, their relatives and care staff from 29 September to 4 October 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager and deputy manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care records and 3 staff files in relation to recruitment. We looked at records of staff training. We also reviewed records relating to the management of the service and how the provider sought people’s feedback. We contacted 3 people and 4 people’s relatives. We also contacted 4 staff to gather their views. We reviewed further information the provider sent to us.

Updated 29 October 2022

About the service

Creative Support – Station View is an extra care housing scheme providing personal care to people living in their own flats at Station View in Barrow in Furness. At the time of our inspection there were 30 people receiving personal care from the service.

The accommodation at Station View is managed by Accent Housing. People have their own flats and access to shared communal facilities including a bistro and sitting rooms. People who live at Station View can choose which care provider they use to deliver their personal care.

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 were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks to people’s safety had been assessed and managed. Staff were trained in how to provide people’s care safely and to protect them from infection. There were enough staff to support people. Staff supported people to take their medicines as they needed.

Staff were trained and skilled to provide people’s care and to meet their needs. Staff supported people, as they needed, to eat and drink and to enjoy a balanced diet. They gave people support to see their doctors and attend medical appointments if necessary. 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.

Staff treated people in a caring way. There was a small, experienced staff team employed. People knew the staff who supported them. People were asked for their views about their care and support and the decisions they made were respected. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and promoted their independence.

Staff provided care and support which was responsive to people’s needs and wishes. Staff were based ‘on-site’. People told us staff attended promptly if they used the call system to request support. People’s care was planned and delivered to meet their needs. The provider had a procedure for responding to any concerns about the service. People told us they would raise any concerns with the staff or registered manager. Staff worked with local and specialist services to support people to remain at home as they reached the end of life.

Everyone told us they would recommend the service. People received person-centred care and experienced positive outcomes. People knew the management team and told us the service was well-managed. Staff felt well supported by the managers and were proud of the service they provided. The registered manager was very experienced. They were aware of their responsibilities and were committed to providing high quality care to people.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and/or who are autistic.

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 5 August 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

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