Archived: Primera Assisted Living Limited

Updated 21 July 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on 22 March 2016. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available to meet with us during the inspection. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

We looked at the information we held about the provider and this service, such as incidents, deaths or injuries to people receiving care, this includes any safeguarding matters. We refer to these as notifications and the registered provider is required to notify the Care Quality Commission about these events.

We asked the local authority if they had any information to share with us about the service provided. The local authority is responsible for monitoring the quality and funding for some people who use services.

We spoke with one person who used the service. We spoke with two members of staff, the

registered manager and the provider. We looked at the records of one person. We also looked at all the staff records.

After the inspection the provider sent us information that we had requested very promptly. The information was satisfactory evidence about how the service managed risks.

Updated 21 July 2016

This was an announced inspection carried out 22 March 2016. The provider had been given short notice of the visit to the office so that we could be sure someone would be available to meet with us. This was the first inspection of this service. After the inspection we spoke with people who used the service and care staff on the telephone.

Primera Assisted Living is registered to provide personal care to adults who live in their own homes in the community. At the time of the inspection the service was being provided to one person who received personal care. The registered manager told us that currently the service did not plan to offer support to more people.

There is a registered manager in post who oversees services provided from the office. 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's needs had been assessed before they started to receive support from the service and people had been involved in developing and updating their care plans. We found the information contained in the care records was individualised and clearly identified people's needs and preferences. Risks people might experience with their care or environment was being managed.

We found people received a service that was based on their personal needs and wishes. Changes in people's needs were identified and responded to.

People were supported by staff to take part in activities of their choice. People were able to plan their own meals and received support from staff with their meals in line with their care plan.

We found the service employed enough staff to meet the needs of the people being supported. The support provided was from a consistent group of staff who had been safely recruited. There were also ‘back up’ staff available who people had met previously should the regular staff be unavailable. so they could get to know them. People who used the service had no concerns about how the service was staffed.

Staff had been provided with structured training and regular refresher training to update their knowledge and skills. Staff had a clear understanding of the procedures in place to safeguard people from abuse. Staff were well supported and received an annual appraisal of their work performance.

People and staff knew how to make a complaint and felt confident that it would be dealt with well. People were encouraged to give their views about the quality of the care provided to help drive up standards. There were no formal quality monitoring systems in place. However the small size of the service meant that the quality was assured by the registered manager and regular informal meetings with people who use the service.