Housing 21 - Elm Tree Court

Updated 16 January 2018

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.

We visited Housing and Care 21 - Elm Tree Court on 20 September 2017. The inspection was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure the registered manager was available. The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an expert-by-experience who visited the service with inspector. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included looking at information we had received about the service and statutory notifications the registered manager had sent us.

We also asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The registered provider returned the PIR and we took this into account when we made judgements in this report. We contacted the local authority and Healthwatch. We were not made aware of any concerns by the local authority or Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

During the inspection we looked at the care records of five people who used the service, staff training and recruitment records and other records relating to the day to day running of the service and the care and support people received.

We also spoke with the registered manager, five staff members, seven people who used the service and one relative of a person who used the service.

Updated 16 January 2018

Housing and Care 21- Elm Tree Court is registered to provide personal care and support to people living in the self-contained apartments within the complex. People living in the apartments have access to communal facilities including a lounge and dining room.

We inspected Housing and Care 21 - Elm Tree Court on the 20 September 2017 and the inspection was announced. This was the first inspection of the service since registration. At the time of inspection the agency was providing care and support to 38 people.

At the time of inspection there was a 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.

There were systems in place that ensured people received their care on time, people were kept safe and their needs were met. Safeguarding adults’ procedures were robust and staff understood how to safeguard the people they supported. There was a whistle blowing procedure available and staff said they would use it if they needed to. The service had systems in place to manage accidents and incidents whilst trying to reduce reoccurrence.

Medicine records showed people were receiving their medicines as prescribed. However, records did not show the time medicines were given. There were enough staff on duty to meet people's needs. The provider conducted appropriate recruitment checks before staff started employment to ensure they were suitable to work in the caring profession.

Staff received supervision and training both to meet people’s needs and to enable them to carry out their roles effectively. There were processes in place to ensure new staff to the service received appropriate induction training.

The registered manager demonstrated a good understanding of their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and staff demonstrated good knowledge of the people they supported and their capacity to make decisions.

People’s nutritional needs and preferences were met and people had access to health and social care professionals when required.

People told us they were involved in planning the care and support they received and staff respected their wishes and met their needs. However, records looked at did not always show all of the people who was involved in this process.

People who used the service and their relatives knew about the complaints procedure and said they believed their complaints would be investigated and action taken if necessary. People told us they thought the service was well run and that the registered manager was supportive.

There were effective quality assurance monitoring systems in place and the registered manager recognised the importance of regularly monitoring the quality of the service provided. People and their relatives were provided with opportunities to provide feedback about the service.

The registered manager was aware of their responsibilities in relation to notifying the Commission (CQC) about reportable incidents.