Archived: St Matthews Place

St Matthews Place is an extra care housing scheme that provides care and support for up to 50 people in self-contained flats. At the time of the inspection, 35 people were receiving the regulated activity of personal care.

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

People were cared for safely and staff understood their responsibilities to keep people safe from abuse or harm. Risk assessments were in place which ensured that staff knew what to do to mitigate the risks identified. People received their medicines safely and there were effective practices in place to protect people from infection.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff received the support they required and had access to training and career development.

Staff were kind and caring and passionate about the care they provided. People told us how well looked after they were, and staff were respectful. People’s dignity and privacy was maintained, and people felt in control of their lives.

People had individualised care plans which ensured they received person-centred care. Plans considered people’s preferences, likes and dislikes and their cultural and religious backgrounds. People knew who to speak to raise concerns and were confident they would be listened to. Staff were described as compassionate and patient.

The registered manager was open and honest and strived to look at ways to improve the service. Staff felt well supported and people were confident in the service. Staff liaised with other health professionals and looked at ways to improve people’s life experiences.

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 this service was good (published 21 September 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

St Mathews Place is an extra care housing scheme that provides personal care to people who are tenants. At the time we inspected St Matthew’s Place was providing personal care to 37 people who lived at the scheme, this the maximum number of people that the provider would normally support with personal care at this scheme. The service caters for older people.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

People felt safe living at St Mathews Place. People thought there was enough staff to ensure they received their planned care visits, with additional support or checks if they needed help between these calls. Systems were in place to identify risks to people. Staff were aware of people’s risks and how to appropriately manage them. People were supported by staff who were employed after appropriate checks were carried out. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed

People thought staff were well trained, and had the knowledge and skills needed to provide them with effective care. Staff demonstrated an understanding of people’s individual needs and how to meet these. People’s rights were promoted as staff sought people’s consent before providing care. People were supported with food and drink in a way that met their preferences and addressed their needs. People were supported to access healthcare professionals when required.

People thought staff were caring, kind and respectful. People said staff respected their dignity and privacy. People said they could make choices about how their care was delivered. People’s independence was promoted.

People had involvement in planning their care and their preferences and requirements were considered in consultation with them. Staff understood what was important for people and ensured this was reflected in the care people received. Staff supported people to socialise with other tenants and provided opportunities to access the wider community. People knew who to complain to and were confident any complaints or concerns would be resolved.

People felt the scheme was well led, with systems in place to ensure people’s views were captured and responded to. The provider had systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service. Staff were well supported by the provider and told us they were happy working at St Matthew’s Place.

People we spoke with were complimentary about the care and support that they received. One person said: 'They are very nice; I'm really pleased with them.' Another person said: 'They help me with what I need.'

We found consent had been obtained from people before care had been provided. We also found that steps had been taken to ensure that people received individualised care. Care had been planned and delivered in ways that were intended to ensure people's safety and welfare.

We found that when people needed support with their medicines this had been provided. We saw that medicines had been secured, stored and managed safely in people's flats. Staff had completed records when medicines had been given.

Staff had received training and had been supported by their managers to do their work. However, we found that on some occasions the provider had not planned training effectively. This meant that some staff had not refreshed some of their mandatory training when they should have done.

Everyone we spoke with was very pleased with the service they received. People told us that they were, 'Very well looked after'. One person said they had, 'Nothing but praise' for the care they received. Another told us that it was, 'Brilliant'.

People were also very complimentary about the staff. They told us that, 'The staff always listen' and 'They are so nice'.

We found that the provider offered people lots of ways to be involved in their care. People told us that their views were listened to and respected.

We saw that care plans followed a clear and consistent style and that they were person centred and up to date.

We found that the provider had taken appropriate steps to keep people safe. Staff had received training about safeguarding issues and were familiar with the provider's policy.

We found that the provider carried out all the necessary checks on new staff before allowing them to start work. We also found that the provider had a suitable system in place to monitor the quality of the service it was providing.