Absolute Care Services (Cloverdale Court)

Updated 3 April 2020

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

This inspection was undertaken by one inspector.

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

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that senior staff would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about this service including notifications the provider is required by law to send us about events and incidents involving people. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke to the managing director. We reviewed a range of records. This included the care records of three people using the service, three staff files, medicines administration records (MAR), and other records relating to the management of the service.

After the inspection

We spoke to four people using the service and two people’s relatives. We asked them for feedback about their experiences of the service.

Updated 3 April 2020

About the service

Absolute Care Services (Cloverdale Court) began operating in March 2019. This service provides personal care and support to people living in self-contained flats located in a single building. This is known as extra care housing and is operated by an independent housing provider. There are 43 flats at this scheme. 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 this inspection there were twenty eight people being provided with personal care.

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

People were safe using this service. Staff were trained to safeguard people from abuse and knew how to minimise identified risks to people’s safety. Staff followed current practice when providing personal care and when preparing and handling food which reduced hygiene risks

There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. The provider carried out recruitment checks to make sure staff were suitable and fit to support people. Staff had relevant training to help them meet people’s needs and were well supported by senior staff in their roles. Senior staff assessed their competency through spot checks to make sure they were carrying out their duties appropriately and to a high standard.

People were satisfied with the care and support they received from staff. They received the care and support that had been planned and agreed with them. People’s preferences for how this was provided were respected and staff delivered this in line with their wishes. Staff knew people well and understood how their needs should be met.

Staff were caring and treated people well. They supported people in a dignified, respectful way which maintained their privacy and independence. People had a choice about who they received care and support from. The provider made sure this was from the same staff wherever possible so that care and support was provided in a consistent way. 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.

People were encouraged to stay healthy and keep well. Staff supported people to eat and drink enough to meet their needs and to take their prescribed medicines. Staff understood people’s healthcare needs and how they should be supported with these in a timely and appropriate way. Staff worked well with other healthcare professionals involved in people’s care. When people became unwell, staff sought help for them promptly.

People knew how to make a complaint if they needed to. There were arrangements in place to make sure any accidents, incidents and complaints would be fully investigated and people would be involved and informed of the outcome

The provider had systems in place to monitor and review the quality of service that people experienced. Senior staff used reviews of people’s care and support to check with them that this was continuing to meet their needs and sought their views about how the service could improve.

The provider was continually looking at ways to improve the quality and safety of the service for people. Since the service was first registered, the provider had implemented a new electronic records system to help staff deliver more responsive and timely care to people. The provider was also able to more effectively monitor that people were getting the right care and support at the right time.

Senior staff understood their responsibility for meeting regulatory requirements. They worked proactively with other agencies and acted on their recommendations to develop and improve the care and support provided to people.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 22/03/2019. Prior to this date personal care and support was being provided at this extra care housing scheme by the same provider but at a different location, Absolute Care Services (Sutton). Previous inspection reports for this service can be found here: https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-2183878098

Why we inspected

We normally inspect new services within 12 months of them registering with CQC. We scheduled a comprehensive inspection to check the safety and quality of care people received.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. Further inspections will be planned in line with our inspection schedule or in response to concerns.