Croft Community

Updated 1 March 2019

The inspection: We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team: Two inspectors carried out the inspection.

Service and service type: Croft Community is a domiciliary care agency that provides care and support to people in their own homes.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection: We contacted the registered manager two weeks before our inspection because we wanted to visit when people were in.

What we did: Before the inspection we reviewed information, we held about the service such as notifications the provider is required to send us. We looked at responses to questionnaires 19 people who used the service, four relatives and three community professionals had completed. We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. Providers are required to send us key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

Inspection site visit activity started on 8 January and ended on 28 January 2019. On 8 January 2019 we visited Croft Community and spoke with the registered manager. We visited one person in their own house and two workshops. We spoke with seven people who used the service, five staff and a volunteer. We met people who used the service and staff at lunchtime.

We reviewed care records for four people and medicine administration records (MAR’s) for eight people. We looked at a sample of records relating to the management of the service.

Following our site visit we spoke with three health and social care professionals and three relatives by telephone and in person to gain their views.

Updated 1 March 2019

About the service: This service provides care and support to people living in supported living settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. It provides personal care and support for people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder who may also be living with dementia, mental ill health, sensory impairment or a physical disability.

People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

Croft Community provides care and support to people living in 11 shared houses, self-contained flats and houses in multiple occupancy on the main site and around the market town of Malton. Houses in multiple occupation are properties where at least three people in more than one household share toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities.

Not everyone using Croft Community receives 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. At the time of our inspection there were 37 people receiving support, nine of whom receive support linked to a regulatory activity.

People’s experience of using this service: Although the care service provides accommodation for people on a campus style setting, it was clear the outcomes for people using the service were extremely positive. They reflected the principles and values of registering the right support. People who used the services were actively involved in the ongoing development and design of their services. They were encouraged and supported to participate fully in the local community and had easy access to the health and social care services the local community used. People’s support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

People were supported to lead connected, fulfilled lives and make informed choices in line with the provider’s aims. As well as many work, leisure and educational opportunities on offer people had developed shopping and library schemes locally. This demonstrated the strong links they enjoyed within the wider community.

People could join one of the many initiatives to enable them to be fully involved in their care and support, monitor quality and safety of the service and drive improvement. Examples included the ‘Learn to Lead’ initiative, quality audit reviewer and the road safety video people had produced. Staff worked proactively to respond to changing needs to promote people’s independence and wellbeing. The emphasis of support was towards enabling people and this led to people feeling fulfilled and leading an active life.

Staff had taken an innovative approach to help people understand issues of change, loss and bereavement through drama workshops. People could access technology with appropriate support and safeguards in place. They were supported to maintain links with family and friends. Regular family days gave people the opportunity to meet, share ideas and feedback and celebrate achievements. One relative summed up the quality of care thus, “The Croft is a shining example of how things can be done really well.”

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

For more details, please see the full report on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 29 June 2016).

Why we inspected: This inspection was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating.

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