Updated 4 April 2019
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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team: This inspection was carried out by one inspector and one 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. This person had experience of this type of service.
Service and service type: This service provides care to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is an 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 service. People using the service lived in a number of flats in a single building in multi-occupation shared by people.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.’
Notice of inspection:
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection site visit, it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in. The inspection site visit activity started on 14 March 2019 when we visited the office location to see the manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures.
What we did: Providers are required to send us key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We reviewed this information to help plan our inspection.
As part of our inspection we spoke with four people, five relative, three members of staff, and the registered manager.
We inspected three care plans, and two staff files. We looked at audits and quality assurance procedures relating to the management of the home, which had been developed and implemented by the provider. When commissioners or visiting health professionals have provided feedback, we have included this within our report.