Updated 16 August 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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by an inspector, an assistant inspector and expert-by-experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to make arrangements to meet people to seek their feedback.
Inspection site visit activity started on 12 July 2019 and ended on 29 July 2019 provided feedback to the registered manager. It included a visit to the provider’s office location on 12 July 2019 to meet with people using the service, the provider and staff and to review care plans and other records.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought or rented and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. A registered manager, along with the provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 11 people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three members of staff, including the assistant care manager. We also spoke with the registered manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We also viewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures as well as training data and quality assurance records.
After the inspection
In the following days we left CQC contact details for additional staff and relatives of people who used the service to contact us with feedback, however we received no responses.