Background to this inspection
Updated
27 July 2022
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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an Expert by Experience (ExE) who made phone calls to people and their relatives. An ExE is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
Norton Court provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built accommodation in a shared 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 service.
Registered Manager
This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
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 the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
We visited the location on 30 May 2022.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed the information we held about the service including notifications we had received. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We looked at four care files, eight people’s medication administration records, three staff files, quality assurance reports and other records relating to the management of the service including incidents and accidents records. We spoke with five people using service, seven relatives, the registered manager, the deputy manager, and three care staff.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at records related to the management of the service and we received feedback from two members of the local commissioning team.
Updated
27 July 2022
About the service
Norton Court provides care and support to older people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. 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 our inspection 19 people were using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People received the care and support they needed to reduce risks associated with their health and safety and to maintain their independence. Care plans were in place which provided guidance to staff to deliver appropriate care to people.
Staff understood safeguarding procedures and knew what actions to take if abuse had occurred. Medicines were handled and administered safely. Incidents and accidents were managed in a way which ensured lessons were learnt to prevent reoccurrence. Infection control procedures were followed. People received care and support from staff when they required it. There were enough staff available to care for people. Staff were recruited in a way that ensured people were safe with them.
Staff were supported through an induction, on-going training, regular supervision and appraisal to help them be effective in their roles. Staff worked effectively with social and health care professionals and other services to meet people’s needs. People were supported to meet their nutritional and dietary needs.
Staff cared for people with kindness and compassion. Staff understood the importance of delivering care to people in a way that maintained their dignity, privacy and independence. People were given choice about their care. Staff received equality and diversity training and they respected people’s individualities.
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 place support this practice. People consented to their care. People and their relatives were involved in making decisions about their care. Staff and the manager understood their roles and responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005.
People and their relatives knew how to raise concerns about the service. People felt safe with staff and in the way their care was delivered. The registered manager and provider regularly monitored the quality of service using a range of systems. The provider worked effectively with other services and organisations to develop 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
The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Norton Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.