Archived: Sanctuary Home Care Ltd- Worcester

Sanctuary Home Care Worcester is an extra care scheme based at Noble House providing personal care to 19 people living at the scheme at the time of inspection. Noble house is a complex that provides flats for people choosing to live at the scheme.

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.

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

People were cared for by staff who understood how to keep them safe and protect them from abuse and harm. Skilled, knowledgeable staff were available to meet people's needs. Peoples risks were assessed and plans in place to guide staff. People were supported to use safe medicine practice. Staff understood and followed infection control and prevention procedures. Incidents and accidents were investigated, and actions were taken to prevent recurrence.

People's needs were assessed, and care was planned and delivered to meet legislation and good practice guidance. Care was delivered by staff who were well trained and knowledgeable about people's needs and wishes. 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.

People were supported by staff who were kind and considerate towards them, who people considered friends. People felt involved and supported in decision making and encouraged to have a say about any potential improvements. People's privacy was respected, and their dignity maintained.

People received personalised care from staff who knew their needs and wishes. Suggestions and ideas were acted upon from people, families and staff. Staff and the management team were responsive to people's individual needs flexed the service where possible to support people. People's concerns were listened to and action was taken to improve the service as a result.

The management team were open, approachable and focussed on providing person centred care. They completed checks to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. The management team and staff engaged well with other organisations and had developed positive relationships. The registered manager strived to continuously improve their own skills and knowledge.

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 March 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.

We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our intention to undertake an inspection. This was because the organisation provides a domiciliary care service to people in their homes; we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the office.

The provider registered this service with us to provide personal care and support for people living at Noble House. They provide care in a supported living housing scheme. At the time of our inspection 25 people received support with personal care.

There was a registered manager for this service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered providers and registered managers 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 we spoke with said they had support from regular staff who knew them well. Staff we spoke with recognised the different types of abuse. There were systems in place to guide staff in reporting any concerns. Staff were knowledgeable about how to manage people’s individual risks, and were able to respond to people’s’ needs. People were supported to receive their medicines by trained staff who knew the risks associated with them.

Staff had up to date knowledge and training to support people. Staff always ensured people gave their consent to the support they received. The management team regularly reviewed how people were supported to make decisions. People were supported to eat and drink well when part of their identified needs. People we spoke with explained they were supported to make their own decisions and felt listened to by staff. People and their relatives told us staff would support them to access health professionals when they need to. People told us there was effective communication between themselves, staff and healthcare professionals.

People and their relatives said staff and management team were caring and kind. They said they were treated with dignity and respect, and encouraged to be as independent as possible. People said they were involved in making choices about how they were supported. Relatives told us they were involved as part of the team to support their family member. The management team were adaptable to changes in people’s needs and communicated changes to staff effectively.

People and their relatives knew how to raise complaints and the management team had arrangements in place to ensure people were listened to and appropriate action taken. Staff were involved in regular meetings, to share their views and concerns about the quality of the service. People and staff said the management team were accessible and supportive to them.

The management team monitored the quality of the service in an inclusive way. The registered manager ensured there was a culture of openness for people using the service and staff. The management team had systems in place to identify improvements and action them in a timely way.