Archived: Colin Pond Court

Updated 21 July 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 15 June 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we already held about this service. This included details of its registration, previous inspection reports and any notifications they had sent us. 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 contacted the local authority with responsibility for commissioning care from the service to seek their views.

During the inspection we spoke with four people who used the service and two relatives. We spoke with four staff. This included the acting manager, the lead care and support worker and two care and support workers. We examined four care plans of people. We looked at the recruitment, training and supervision records for five staff. We looked at medicines records and quality assurance and monitoring processes. We checked various policies and procedures including safeguarding adults, complaints and whistle blowing.

Updated 21 July 2017

At the previous inspection of this service in June 2015 we found they were in breach of Regulation 12 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This was because the service did not always make appropriate referrals to health care professionals where there was a need to do so. At this inspection we found this issue had been addressed.

The service provides support with personal care to older people who live in an independent living service. The care provider does not provide people’s accommodation. At the time of our inspection 10 adults were using the service, some of whom had dementia.

The service did not have a registered manager in place. An acting manager had recently being appointed who told us they were in the process of applying to register with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

There were enough staff working at the service to meet people’s needs and robust staff recruitment procedures were in place. Appropriate safeguarding procedures were in place and people told us they felt safe using the service. Risk assessments provided information about how to support people in a safe manner. Medicines were managed safely.

Staff undertook an induction training programme on commencing work at the service and received on-going training after that. People were able to make choices for themselves where they had the capacity to do so and the service operated within the spirit of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People told us they enjoyed the food. People were supported to access relevant health care professionals.

People told us they were treated with respect and that staff were caring. Staff had a good understanding of how to promote people’s privacy, independence and dignity.

People’s needs were assessed before they began using the service. Care plans were in place which set out how to meet people’s individual needs. People were supported to engage in various activities. The service had a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to make a complaint.

Staff and people spoke positively about the registered manager. Systems were in place to seek the views of people on the running of the service.

We have made one recommendation. This was because the service did not always follow its own guidance when checking that medicine records were completed correctly.