Archived: Nichols Court Extra Care Scheme

Updated 14 February 2019

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.

This comprehensive (planned) inspection took place on 9 January 2019 and was announced. We gave the registered manager 24 hours notice of our visit to make sure they were in the office.

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

As part of the inspection, we reviewed the information available to us about the service, such as the notifications that they had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also contacted stakeholders, such as the local authority contracts monitoring and the safeguarding teams for their views of the service. We took all of this information into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During our inspection, we spoke with five people using the service. We also spoke with two members of care staff and the registered manager. We checked four people’s care records and medicines administration records (MARs). We checked records relating to how the service is run and monitored, such as audits, accidents and incidents forms, staff recruitment, training and health and safety records.

Updated 14 February 2019

This inspection of Nichols Court Extra Care Housing Scheme took place on 9 January 2019. Our visit to the office was announced to make sure the registered manager was available.

Nichols Court Extra Care Housing Scheme is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care to people living in their own flats at Nichols Court. It provides a service to older adults. At the time of our visit 26 people were using the service.

Not everyone using Nichols Court Extra Care Housing Scheme received a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

There was a registered manager at this agency who was supported by Customer Care Officers and the organisation’s senior management. 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.

At our previous inspection on 15 April 2016 we rated this service as Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Staff knew how to keep people safe, how to respond to possible harm and how to reduce risks to people. There were enough staff who had been recruited properly to make sure they were suitable to work with people. Medicines were administered safely. Staff had enough equipment, such as gloves and aprons, to make sure that infection control was maintained. Lessons were learnt from accidents and incidents and these were shared with staff members to ensure changes were made to staff practice.

People’s care was planned and delivered in line with good practice guidance. People were cared for by staff who had received the appropriate training and had the skills and support to carry out their roles. Staff helped people to eat and drink and to do so in a way that also supported their health needs. Staff had information if they needed to refer people to health care professionals and they followed the advice professionals gave them.

Staff understood and complied with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the agency supported this practice.

Staff were caring, kind and treated people with respect. People were listened to and were involved in their care and what they did on a day to day basis. People’s right to privacy was maintained by the actions and care given by staff members.

People’s personal and health care needs were met and care records provided staff with enough guidance in how to do this. A complaints system was in place and there was information so people knew who to speak with if they had concerns. Staff had guidance about caring for people at the end of their lives.

Staff were supported by the registered manager, who had identified areas for improvement and developed a plan to address these. The provider’s monitoring process looked at systems throughout the service, identified issues and staff took the appropriate action to resolve these. People’s, relatives and staff views were sought, with positive results.

Further information is in the detailed findings below