Housing 21 - Holm Court

Updated 1 November 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.

This inspection took place on 23 August 2017 and was announced. We provided 48 hours’ notice of the inspection because the location provides a service to people in their own homes. We also needed to be sure that staff would be available during the inspection and that records would be accessible.

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

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 improvements they plan to make.

We reviewed information we received about the service including notifications. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.

During our inspection we spoke with six people who used the service and one relative. We also spoke with the operations manager for the area, registered manager and five other members of staff.

We looked at six people's care records. We reviewed three staff recruitment files, the staff duty rota and staff training records. We also looked at further records relating to the management of the service, including complaints management and quality audits, in order to review how the quality of the service was monitored and managed.

Updated 1 November 2017

Holm Court provides personal care to people living in their own flats within an extra care housing complex.

At the time of our inspection there were 33 people using the service.

At the last inspection of 01 April 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 using the service felt safe. There were systems in place to safeguard people from the risk of possible harm. Personalised risk assessments were completed and updated as required.

The service continued to have robust recruitment procedures in place. There were sufficient staff on duty to meet the assessed support needs of the people. Staff had received training in the administration of prescribed medicines.

Staff were knowledgeable and competent in their roles and were supported by way of supervision and appraisals. These were consistently completed for all staff and were used to provide feedback on performance and plan future personal development.

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 support this practice.

People continued to be supported to maintain their health and well-being and accessed the services of health care professionals.

Staff were kind, helpful and maintained people's dignity when support was provided. Positive

relationships existed between people and staff. The staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported.

People were involved in planning their support and deciding in which way their support was provided. Each person had a detailed care plan which was reflective of their needs and had been reviewed at regular intervals and after significant events.

People and staff knew whom to raise concerns to and information regarding the complaints procedure was available in the reception area of the service. The service had a consistent process for receiving and recording complaints, concerns and compliments.

Quality assurance processes were in place. Feedback on the service was encouraged and people were provided with frequent opportunities to express their views on the care and support they received.

There was an open culture. People and staff found the registered manager supportive and approachable. The service sought the advice of other organisations upon management and quality assurance.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.