2 May 2018
During a routine inspection
Sanctuary Home Care Limited – Devon is a domiciliary care agency. It provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing at Moreton Court Extra Care Scheme, Bideford. Both services belong to the Sanctuary group. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted 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. The Care Quality Commission does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.
Not everyone using Sanctuary received 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.
There were 59 flats at the scheme and 29 people were receiving personal care. The care visit times ranged from a minimum of 15 minutes to a maximum of one hour. The frequency of care visits ranged from once a week to 28 times a week.
At our last inspection in November 2015 we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the overall rating of Good but the caring domain had improved to Outstanding. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.
Why the service is rated Good:
The home had a registered manager. 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.
The registered manager and care workers delivered care and support which took into account people's individual choices and preferences. People were extremely happy and complimentary over the service and the staff that supported them. Care workers treated people with respect, dignity and compassion at all times. Meaningful relationships had been developed with the care workers who supported them. Families, friends and pets were supported as part of people’s ongoing care, support and wellbeing. Two relatives said, “Absolutely marvellous here, the people, the service, the place” and “They (family members) are so happy here …”
People were encouraged to be as independent as possible by care workers they trusted and felt safe with. Care workers supported people to lead an enhanced quality of life. People commented, “Everything is hunky dory … staff are marvellous” and “They are very friendly and very caring”. People said care workers went 'the extra mile' and that they went above and beyond what was expected of them. They gave examples of when this happened. Relatives said, “I can’t say anything bad … I love Moreton Court”, “Outstanding care, I can’t fault it” and “It is the perfect place sent from heaven … we are more than satisfied …it’s the best place we could have found.”
People had a regular team of care workers and liked to see familiar faces. People were kept safe and cared for by care workers who were aware of their safeguarding responsibilities. Care workers were safely recruited, trained and supervised in their work. They enjoyed their jobs, felt included and listened to in the running of the agency. People had confidence in the management of the service and the registered manager acted as a role model for the staff team. People were confident any issues would be dealt with appropriately.
People were supported by adequate staff to meet their needs. Staff had received safeguarding training and were aware how to raise concerns if they felt people were at risk of abuse or poor practice. People were treated with compassion and empathy by staff. They were relaxed and comfortable with staff that supported them. Staff were discreet when supporting people with personal care, respected people’s choices and acted in accordance with the person’s wishes.
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. Staff demonstrated an understanding of their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. Where people lacked capacity, mental capacity assessments were completed and best interest decisions made in line with the MCA.
People’s views and suggestions were taken into account to improve the service. Regular feedback was sought. Health and social care professionals were involved when necessary. People knew how to make a complaint. There had been no complaints received at the service since our last inspection.
People were supported to follow their interests and take part in social activities both inside and outside of the service. People were encouraged to establish community links. People were encouraged to take part in the running of the service if they wished.
People were supported to eat and drink enough and maintain a balanced diet. Medicines were safely managed and procedures were in place, although these could be improved upon.
The provider had a range of robust quality monitoring systems in place which were used to continually review and improve the service.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.