Background to this inspection
Updated
31 October 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. 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
There was one Inspector and an 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.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing and is a domiciliary care agency which provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought or 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.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. A registered manager 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. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before the 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 seven people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the provider, the registered manager, the care manager and care workers, known as care givers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple 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.
Updated
31 October 2019
About the service
Gilbert Court is an extra care scheme providing personal care to 60 people living in a purpose built housing complex and 30 people in the local community. Not everyone who lived at the scheme 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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People experienced care which was centred around them and personalised to ensure they regained independence in daily living. The provider had worked with a number of new tools, to develop and promote this care philosophy. These values shared with the staff team who demonstrated their committee to provide great care and understood how their role could achieve this. People were supported to live their lives with a sense of independence and purpose.
People told us they had developed special relationships with their care givers over time and had a mutual trust and respect for each other. People received care which meet their individual needs and staff understood and knew people very well. Individualised care was reflective of people’s choices and life histories.
People, relatives and staff told us they found the service to be very well managed and was a remarkably caring service. There was consistent praise from staff on the skills of the management team who were keen and motivated to provide an exceptional service.
The provider used best practice and demonstrated this through their detailed and exhaustive governance processes. People were able to maintain and in some areas improve relationships with people who were important to them. Relatives were encouraged to be involved in people's lives to add further knowledge of the person.
People retained responsibility for their own health and the staff team supported people to make and attend appointments if needed. This promoted and maintained people’s health needs. Medicines were managed so that people received their medicines as prescribed.
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.
Staff understood their responsibility to safeguard people from harm and knew how to report any potential concerns to ensure people’s safety was maintained. Where risks associated with people's health and wellbeing had been identified, there were plans to manage those risks.
People received their care at the times they wanted and from the care givers they liked. People and relatives told us the care provided them with positive outcomes.
Staff training reflected the needs of people’s specific care and support needs so staff had the knowledge and understood how best to provide their care. Staff told us the provider offered a range of opportunities to further develop their skills and knowledge.
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 25 February 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.