We carried out a review of the data available to us about Housing 21 - Meadowfields on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Housing 21 - Meadowfields, you can give feedback on this service.
Not everyone using the service receives support with a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they receive support with personal care, we also take into account any wider social care provided.
Housing & Care 21 – Meadowfields provides a service to older people and younger adults as well as people who misuse drugs and alcohol, with mental health needs, who may be living with dementia, a physical disability, a sensory impairment, a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection, there were 27 predominantly older people receiving support with the regulated activity ‘personal care’.
The inspection took place on 14 and 21 November 2017 and was announced. We gave 24 hours’ notice of our visit, because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure someone would be in the location office when we visited.
At the last comprehensive inspection in July 2015, the service required improvements to be consistently safe, but was rated ‘Good’ overall. We completed a focussed inspection in December 2016 and found further improvements were needed in the safe domain, but the service remained ‘Good’ overall. At this inspection, we found improvements had been and the service remained ‘Good’.
The service had a registered manager. They had worked at the service since it first registered in 2014 and became the registered manager in September 2017. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People told us they felt safe with the support staff provided. Staff were proactive in assessing and managing risk. The registered manager ensured sufficient numbers of suitable staff were deployed to meet people’s needs. People received safe support to take their prescribed medicines. Staff used appropriate personal protective equipment to minimise the risk of spreading infections.
Staff were trained and received on-going support and supervision to ensure they provided effective care. Staff supported people to ensure they ate and drank enough. Staff worked with healthcare professionals to make sure people’s needs were met. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Staff were kind, caring and treated people with dignity and respect. People made decisions about how their needs were to be met.
Care and support was person-centred. People told us staff listened to them and responded to their needs. There were systems in place to gather and respond to feedback about the service provided.
The service was well-led. The registered manager promoted an open, inclusive and person-centred culture. Audits were completed to continually monitor the quality of the service provided. The registered manager was committed to improving the service.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.
This inspection was focussed to review the progress made by the provider in making sure people were kept safe from the risks associated with medicines management. This report only covers our findings in relation to this topic. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Housing & Care 21 – Meadowfields on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
This focussed inspection took place on 1 December 2016 and was unannounced.
Housing & Care 21 – Meadowfields provides personal care and support to older people who live in their own apartments. Some of the people who use the service are living with dementia. Apartments are located on one site in Thirsk around an office and communal areas. There is a café on site which can be used by the public, as well as the local library. The aim of the service is to support people to live independently. The service currently provides support to 77 people.
At the time of our inspection there was no registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The current manager had applied to be registered with the CQC and their application had been accepted. However, it was unlikely that they would be called for interview before they took planned leave. We are following up the day to day management of the service with the provider
The system for administering medicines had been improved to make sure that people received their medicines safely. Medicine records were clearly written and we found no unexplained gaps in recording. There were systems in place to identify any errors promptly. We found that appropriate action was taken where any errors had occurred. This meant that the previous breach of Regulation 12 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 had now been met.
While reviewing the service we found that the provider did not always inform the correct authorities of safeguarding concerns. This included notifications to the CQC as well as safeguarding alerts sent to the local authority. Although action was taken to keep people safe, managers of the service were unclear as to the correct reporting procedures.
Staff were confident about how to protect people from harm and understood how to identify if anyone was at risk of harm. Staff had received training in medicine administration and were kept aware of any changes or updates to procedure. Risks to people had been assessed and plans put in place to keep risks to a minimum.
This inspection took place on 26 August 2015 and was announced. This was the first inspection of the service which has been open since May 2014.
Housing & Care 21 – Meadowfields provides personal care and support to older people who live in their own apartments. Some of the people who use the service are living with dementia. Apartments are located on one site in Thirsk around an office and communal areas. There is a café on site which can be used by the public, as well as the local library. The aim of the service is to support people to live independently. The service currently provides personal care to 26 people.
At the time of our inspection there was no registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager left the service in June 2015 and an interim manager is in place until a new registered manager is recruited.
The system for administering medicines required improvement to keep people safe from potential risks. The system for administering medicines from blister packs did not ensure that people were taking the correct medicines. We identified an error in administration for one person which had not been picked up by the service and which could have had a serious impact on the person’s well-being. The risks associated with medicine administration identified during our inspection meant that there was not proper and safe management of medicines. This was in breach of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and you can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.
People told us they felt safe at the service. Staff were confident about how to protect people from harm and what they would do if they had any safeguarding concerns. Risks to people had been assessed and plans put in place to keep risks to a minimum. People had portable alarms which they could use in the event of a problem or emergency.
There were enough staff on duty to make sure people’s needs were met. The provider had robust recruitment procedures to make sure staff were had the required skills and were of suitable character and background.
Staff told us they liked working at the service and that there was good team work. Staff were supported through training, regular supervisions and team meetings to help them carry out their roles effectively.
The manager and staff were aware of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). DoLS are put in place to protect people where their freedom of movement is restricted. There were no restrictions at the time of our inspection.
There was a relaxed and friendly atmosphere in the service. People told us that staff were caring and that their privacy and dignity respected. Care plans were person centred and showed that individual preferences were taken into account. Care plans gave clear directions to staff about the support people needed to have their needs met. People were supported to maintain their health and to access health services if needed.
People’s needs were regularly reviewed and appropriate changes were made to the support people received. People had opportunities to make comments about the service and how it could be improved.
There were effective management arrangements in place whilst a new registered manager was being recruited. Staff told us that they felt supported by managers and that improvements had been made to the service during what had recently been a busy time. There were systems in place to look at the quality of the service provided and action was taken where shortfalls were identified.