We undertook an unannounced inspection of Showell Court on 17 and 20 April 2015.
Showell Court provides personal care in a sheltered housing setting. At the time of our inspection there were 35 people receiving personal care, who were living within the sheltered housing complex.
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.
At an inspection held on 2 July 2014, we asked the provider to take action to make improvements regarding how the provider dealt with people’s complaints, and this action has been completed.
Staff were knowledgeable about keeping people safe from abuse. People were assessed to identify potential risks to their safety.
People and staff gave us differing views on whether there were enough staff to support people. People and staff told us that staff were not always able to respond to ad hoc call bells in a timely manner. People received pre-arranged visits on time and by the number of staff agreed in their assessments.
People told us they received the medicines they required to support their health. However, we found that guidance regarding ‘as required’ medicines was not always available in people’s medicines records to help guide staff. Staff were not always clear about how and when these medicines were required.
Staff knew how to support people’s rights and respected their choices. The registered manager demonstrated they knew what steps to take if a person’s ability to make decisions was deteriorating.
Staff supported people to drink and eat, in order to support their well-being. Staff knew what people preferred to eat and what foods they needed to support their health Staff helped people to access external healthcare services when they needed them.
Staff were caring towards people. The provider assessed people’s needs prior to them using the service, so that staff knew what support people needed. Staff knew what was important to people, such as their relationships with friends and family.
Staff demonstrated that they knew how to support people’s dignity, privacy and independence.
The provider reacted appropriately to people’s changing needs and made referrals to outside agencies to help meet these needs. Staff followed the advice of external healthcare professionals in order to support people appropriately. People’s needs were reviewed so that the provider could identify any changes in support requirements. Care records were personalised to the individual.
People had various ways in which they could raise issues, such as at arranged meetings. Staff were aware of how to support people in matters of complaint and complaints were appropriately dealt with in line with the provider’s procedure.
The provider promoted a positive culture within the service and people described the management team as approachable. The management team supported staff in carrying out their roles. This meant that the management team worked towards improving people’s experience of the service. The provider carried out a number of audits in order to identify issues with the service and improve care standards.