Archived: ExtraCare Charitable Trust Berryhill Village

The ExtraCare Charitable Trust, Berryhill Retirement Village enables older people to rent a home, have access to personal care and support, and a range of social opportunities.

At our last comprehensive inspection of this service in July 2013, we found the provider had met all of their legal requirements.

The home had a registered manager who had recently joined the service in June 2016. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they received their care at the allocated call times and staff stayed the agreed length of time to provide the care and support needed. We also found staff were available if people required additional personal care due to their change in needs. Recruitment procedures made sure staff were of a suitable character to care for people safely in their homes.

People and relatives told us they felt people were safe at Berryhill Retirement Village. The manager and staff understood how to protect people they supported from abuse and when to inform the relevant agencies of any concerns. Staff followed people’s individual risk assessments to ensure they minimised any identified risks to people’s health and social care.

Medicines were stored and administered safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed. Audits were carried out of medicines to ensure they were managed in line with good practice guidelines. People were supported to attend health care appointments when they needed to maintain their health and wellbeing.

Staff were kind and supportive to people’s needs and people’s privacy and dignity was respected. People were encouraged to be independent as much as possible with their personal care needs.

People received a nutritious diet, had a choice of food, and were encouraged to have enough to drink. Some people received support from staff to prepare their meals in their flats. People received care and support which was tailored to their individual needs.

The management and staff teams understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and supported people in line with these principles. People were supported to make everyday decisions themselves, which helped them to maintain their independence.

People were supported to pursue their hobbies and interests both within and outside the village. Activities were arranged according to people’s individual preferences, needs and abilities and staff were keen to explore a variety of new activities for people. People who lived at Berryhill Retirement Village were encouraged to maintain links with friends and family who visited them in their flats.

People and relatives knew how to make a formal complaint and were able to discuss concerns they had with staff and the registered manager. The provider obtained the views of people by way of regular meetings and customer surveys.

Staff felt the management team were supportive and promoted an open culture within the service. Staff were able to discuss their own development in supervision sessions and during regular team meetings. A programme of training and induction provided staff with the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs. Staff felt well supported by the provider and management team and their views and ideas were encouraged on how to improve the service.

The provider carried out regular audits to continually monitor and improve the quality of the service.

People told us their needs were being met and their care was delivered in the way they preferred. One person told us, "They have been really good, very polite. I have been satisfied; I've had no trouble in six years." Another person told us," I'm comfortable, the staff are very nice and I know who is coming.' People told us they felt safe with the staff and said they would tell the manager or another staff member, if they had any concerns.

We found people using the service were safe because the staff were given clear instructions, support and guidance. People told us they were treated with care and compassion and the staff responded well to their needs.

People told us that care and support was provided by skilled staff who knew them well. There were effective processes in place to ensure staff were suitably trained and supported.

We found the service was well led. The provider ensured positive outcomes for people were continually developed, reviewed and improved upon when needed.

People using the service told us that their privacy and dignity was respected and one person said, 'The staff are very respectful I never feel embarrassed.' Another person said, 'They always knock and announce themselves. They take their time and don't rush you.'

We saw that people received care and support that met their individual needs and were happy with the care they received. Care records were kept up to date and included information about people's needs and preferences. One person told us, 'The staff are nice, they are kind and gentle with me.'

People using the service told us that they felt safe. We observed the way staff interacted with people and saw positive relationships. One person using the service said, 'I would say what was on my mind if something was the matter, I'm not fearful of any repercussions.'

We looked at the recruitment procedures for staff and found that suitable systems were in place to protect people.

Information was available in different formats, including large print, to support people using the service to complain or raise concerns if they wished to.