Miners Court Extra Care

Updated 18 June 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection site visit was carried out by an inspector. An Expert by Experience made phone calls to people living at Miners Court. 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 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.

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 24 hours’ notice of the inspection in line with our methodology.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 15 people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We met with the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We spoke with the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We spoke with 13 members of staff and received feedback from five professionals with experience of the service.

Updated 18 June 2021

About the service

Miners Court Extra Care provides accommodation and support for up to 64 people on a purpose-built site. People live independently in their own self-contained homes with access to full-time on-site care and support.

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. At the time of the inspection 52 people were receiving personal care.

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

People told us they were happy living at Miners Court and felt they were safe and able to access care when they needed it. They received scheduled visits during the day to help with personal care. Everyone had a lifeline so they were able to call for additional support when required.

The service had several staff vacancies and some staff had been working longer than their contracted hours. Staff told us they were sometimes rushed and, on occasion, had to work later than planned. We have made a recommendation about staffing in the report.

People received their medicines as prescribed. When it was important for people to take their medicine at a specific time, staff prioritised their visits to make sure this happened.

Risk assessments were developed so staff were aware of any circumstances when people might need additional support. There was guidance for staff on how to support people safely and with a view to people maintaining their independence where possible.

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.

There had been a restructuring of the management team shortly before the inspection. The registered manager was supported by a deputy manager and three assistant managers. All had clearly defined roles and responsibilities.

Some staff told us they did not always feel confident approaching managers with any concerns or questions. Following the inspection, the Nominated Individual told us the actions they would be taking to improve staff experience in this area.

Staff were very supportive of each other and frequently spoke of the importance of working together and communicating well to make sure people got the care and support they needed and in line with their routines and preferences.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good. (published 21 June 2018).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to staff retention and staff confidence in management. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Miners Court Extra Care on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.