Creative Support - Heysham Gardens

Updated 24 March 2020

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 one inspector.

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. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 08 February 2020 and ended on 04 March 2020. We visited the office location on 10 and 27 February 2020.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. We used this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people in their own homes and a further eight people at a luncheon club at the housing scheme. We received feedback from three relatives. We spoke with the registered manager, a locality manager, scheme care co-ordinator and three care workers. We looked at the care records of three people who used the service and the personnel files of four members of staff. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 24 March 2020

About the service

Creative Support – Heysham Gardens provides personal care to people who live in their own flats and bungalows within an extra care housing scheme. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted accommodation in a shared site or building. People's housing was provided by a separate provider under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people's personal care provided by Creative Support. At the time of this inspection 28 people were receiving personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were very happy with the service and care from Creative Support. They felt safe and were protected from the risk of harm. Staff supported people to be independent whilst also managing risks. There were sufficient numbers of staff who were safely recruited to meet people’s needs. People were supported to manage their medicines safely by staff who had completed medication training and had their competency checked. Staff followed the provider’s infection control policy and procedure to prevent the spread of infection.

Staff displayed a caring attitude. They spoke about people in a respectful and empathic way. People’s privacy and dignity was maintained, and people told us staff were respectful to them and their property when completing care calls. One relative told us, "We can’t speak highly enough about the service. The staff are respectful and the service is flexible. We get regular updates and feel involved. Nothing is too much trouble for staff."

The staff team were suitably trained and supervised. They knew people’s needs well and the importance of supporting people to maintain their independence. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies in the service supported this practice.

People were assisted to access the numerous facilities at Heysham Gardens, and the wider community which helped to support their well-being and reduce isolation. People were supported to access GP services or other health professionals if needed. Staff recognised a deterioration in people’s health and took action. People said all staff were approachable and they felt at ease to raise any concerns with them, and management if needed.

The service was well-led. The management team completed regular quality monitoring checks to ensure any areas of improvement were noted and people received the care and support they expected. Areas identified for improvement were acted upon and some of these changes came from suggestions from people in receipt of the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 18 August 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.