Archived: Housing & Care 21 - Abbotswood

Updated 9 June 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.

The inspection took place on 11 April 2017 and was announced. We gave 48 hours’ notice of the inspection because this service provides personal care to people living in their own homes. We needed to be sure that staff would be available at the time of our inspection. One inspector undertook this inspection.

Before the inspection, 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 any improvements they plan to make. We checked the information that we held about the service and the service provider. This included statutory notifications sent to us by the registered manager about incidents and events that had occurred at the service. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send to us by law. We used all this information to decide which areas to focus on during our inspection.

We observed care and spoke with people and staff. We spent time looking at records including four care records, two staff files, medication administration record (MAR) sheets, staff rotas, the staff training plan, complaints and other records relating to the management of the service.

On the day of our inspection, we met with four people who received personal care from the service. We chatted with people in their homes. We spoke with the registered manager, the regional manager, three senior care staff and one care assistant.

This is the first inspection since the service was taken over by a new provider.

Updated 9 June 2017

The inspection took place on 11 April 2017 and was announced.

Housing & Care 21 Abbotswood is an extra care service consisting of 62 individual apartments within the building. There is an office base and care staff provide people with a range of services including personal care, medicines management, shopping and cleaning services. At the time of our inspection, 50 people were receiving care and support from the provider.

A registered manager was in post. 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 Abbotswood. Staff understood how to keep people safe and how to recognise the signs of potential abuse that people might experience. Staff had been trained in safeguarding adults at risk and knew what action to take if they had any concerns about people’s welfare. Risks to people were identified, assessed and managed appropriately. Care plans provided staff with guidance on how to support people and mitigate risks. Staffing levels were assessed based on people’s needs. People and staff felt there were sufficient staff on duty, both day and night. Safe recruitment practices were in place. Medicines were managed safely.

Staff had completed training in a range of areas considered essential in order to look after people effectively. New staff completed the Care Certificate, a universally recognised qualification. Staff were encouraged to study for additional qualifications such as diplomas in health and social care. Staff had regular supervision meetings with their line managers and attended team meetings. Staff had been trained in mental capacity and worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. However, people lived independently in their own homes and were not subject to the requirements of this legislation. People had access to a range of healthcare professionals and services.

People were cared for by kind and caring staff and spoke positively of the relationships that had developed. People were encouraged to be involved in all aspects of their care and to express their views. They were treated with dignity and respect by staff.

Care plans contained personalised information about people that was responsive to their needs. Information included people’s personal histories, likes, dislikes and preferences. Staff confirmed when they had read people’s care plans to show they understood how to support people in line with their assessed needs. Activities were organised at the service, but the majority of these were arranged by the housing provider. Staff had plans to organise additional activities. Complaints were managed in line with the provider’s policy.

People were involved in all aspects of the service and their feedback was sought through completion of an annual survey, the last one of which was from 2016. Responses were positive. Staff felt supported by management and were asked for their views on their employment through an annual survey. The registered manager valued the work of the care staff. People spoke of the good quality care they received and of the caring staff. A range of systems was in place to measure and monitor the care delivered and the service overall.