Background to this inspection
Updated
26 October 2017
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.
This inspection took place on 25 August 2017 and was unannounced. This meant the provider and staff did not know we would be visiting. Further days of inspection took place on 30 and 31 August and 1 September 2017, and these were announced.
The inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspector, a specialist advisor nurse and three experts 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.
We reviewed information we held about the service, including the notifications we had received from the provider. Notifications are changes, events or incidents the provider is legally obliged to send us within required timescales.
The provider completed 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.
We contacted the commissioners of the relevant local authorities, the local authority safeguarding team and other professionals who worked with the service to gain their views of the care provided by Parkside Court.
During the inspection we spoke with 28 people who used the service. We spoke with four relatives of people using the service. We looked at nine care plans, nine medicine administration records (MARs) and handover sheers. We spoke with the manager, three office staff and seven support workers. We looked at four staff files, which included recruitment records.
Updated
26 October 2017
This inspection took place on 25 August 2017 and was unannounced. This meant the provider and staff did not know we would be visiting. Further days of inspection took place on 30 and 31 August and 1 September 2017, and these were announced.
Parkside Court is registered to provide personal care to people living within an extra care scheme and to people who live in the wider community. At the time of our inspection 157 people were using the service, 32 of whom lived in the extra care scheme and 125 of whom lived in the wider community.
At the last inspection in July 2014 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.
At the time of our inspection a new manager had been appointed and the service was in the process of registering them as registered manager with the CQC. 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.
Risks to people using the service were assessed and plans put in place to reduce the chances of them occurring. Policies and procedures were in place to safeguard people’s welfare. People’s medicines were managed safely and people told us they received them when needed. The provider monitored staffing levels to ensure enough staff were deployed to support people safely. The provider’s recruitment processes minimised the risk of unsuitable staff being employed.
People told us staff had the training and skills needed to support them effectively. Staff were supported through regular training, supervisions and appraisals. 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. People were supported to maintain a healthy diet and to access external professionals to maintain and promote their health.
People and their relatives spoke positively about staff at the service and said they received kind and caring support. People told us staff maintained their dignity and treated them with respect. Staff worked hard to promote people’s independence. Staff we spoke with said they were motivated to provide high quality care to the people they supported. Procedures were in place to support people to access advocacy services.
People and their relatives told us they received support based on their needs and preferences. Care plans contained personalised information on people's support needs and were regularly reviewed to ensure they reflected people’s current support needs and preferences.
Policies and procedures were in place to investigate and respond to complaints.
Staff spoke positively about the culture and values of the service and said they were supported by the manager. People and relatives spoke positively about the manager and said they dealt with any issues that were raised. The manager and provider carried out a number of quality assurance audits to monitor and improve standards at the service. Feedback was sought from people and staff. The manager had informed CQC of significant events in a timely way by submitting the required notifications.