Background to this inspection
Updated
11 July 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team: The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.
Service and service type: Victoria Court is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care and support to people living in a supported living setting. People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people's personal care and support.
Not all people living at Victoria court received personal care and we only inspected those people who received a regulated activity. Not everyone using Victoria Court services receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene, eating and medication. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.
Notice of inspection: This inspection was unannounced. Inspection site visit activity started and ended on 9 May 2019.
What we did: Before the inspection, the provider sent us a Provider Information Return. This is in-formation we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed information we held about the service, such as details about incidents the provider must notify CQC about, for example incidents of abuse.
We also reviewed all other information sent to us from other stakeholders, for example the local authority and members of the public.
During the inspection: We spoke with three people, the registered manager and three staff members. We looked at three people's care records and medicine records. We looked at four staff files including records of recruitment, supervision and appraisals, and training. We also looked at quality monitoring records relating to the management of the service such as audits and quality assurance reports.
Updated
11 July 2019
About the service: Victoria Court is a domiciliary care agency. Victoria Court is a large complex of houses where people can access the domiciliary care agency which is based on site. At the time of our inspection, 22 people were using the service.
People’s experience of using the service: People were supported safely and protected from harm. There were systems in place to reduce the risk of abuse and to assess and monitor potential risks to people.
The management of medicines was safe. Risk assessments were carried out to mitigate potential risks. Incidents and accidents were managed effectively; lessons learnt were shared with staff to reduce the risk of further occurrences.
Staff had the right skills and experience to meet people’s needs. Recruitment checks were completed on new staff to ensure they were suitable to support people who used the service. A comprehensive induction and training programme was completed by all staff.
People were well cared for by staff who treated them with kindness, respect and dignity. People told us they were involved in their care, and what they did on a day to day basis. People's right to privacy was maintained by the actions and care given by staff members.
Assessments were carried out to ensure people’s needs could be met. Staff understood people’s likes, dislikes and preferences and people told us they were offered choices about their care.
Some people using the service required end of life care. Care plans recorded people’s preferences for their end of life care.
Where required, people were supported to maintain a healthy diet and health needs were regularly monitored. Staff followed the advice of health care professionals.
Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive was possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Staff told us the management team were honest and supportive. People told us the management team were approachable and felt concerns would be effectively managed. Complaints were managed efficiently.
The provider had embedded quality assurance systems to monitor the quality and safety of the care provided. People were asked for their views and their suggestions were used to improve the service.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection: Requires Improvement (report published 18 May 2018).
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.