Archived: Creative Support - Heysham Gardens

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.

Heysham Gardens is a purpose built Extra Care housing development managed by Eden Housing Association Ltd. Creative Support - Heysham Gardens (Creative Support) has a contract to offer some of the personal care to those requiring support within the Heysham Gardens development. Creative Support are registered to offer personal care in people’s own homes 24 hours a day. When we inspected 27 people were receiving care from Creative Support ranging from a few hours a week up to several hours per day. We inspected the personal care provided to the Extra Care development provided by Creative Support - Heysham Gardens (Creative Support).

A registered manager was in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

People were very complimentary about the service and the staff who supported them. They told us they received care from staff who knew them well, and had the knowledge and skills to meet their needs. Staff displayed genuine caring attitudes towards the people they supported.

We received very positive feedback from health and social care professionals about the working relationship with the service. One professional told us that Creative Support was the “glue” that made the development work so well.

We found there were enough suitably qualified staff available to meet people's needs. The service was very flexible and responded to people's changing needs. Staffing levels were determined by people’s needs and the care packages in place. There was a well-developed programme of training that was designed around the requirements of the people they were supporting.

Matters of a safeguarding nature were dealt with appropriately by the service and referred to the relevant local authority safeguarding adult’s team for investigation and action as necessary. Staff were aware of their own personal responsibility to report matters of a safeguarding nature and to protect the vulnerable people to whom they provided care.

Detailed risk assessments helped to protect people from risks they may encounter in their daily lives. Hazards to people’s safety had been identified and managed.

Recruitment processes were robust and appropriate vetting checks were carried out to ensure that new staff employed were suitable to work with vulnerable adults. Staff confirmed their induction provided them with the essential knowledge and practical guidance they needed before they took up their care duties.

People told us they were very satisfied with the standards of care and support they received. They described how they enjoyed good working relationships with care staff and they were treated with dignity and respect. People received person centred care in line with their individual needs and preferences. There was a clear commitment to support people in a way that promoted their independence.

People were supported to eat and drink in sufficient amounts to remain healthy. Staff encouraged and supported them to eat and drink regularly where this was part of their agreed care plan.

Staff also supported people to access the services of healthcare professionals where they could not do this for themselves, or they had no family members to do this for them.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. People’s rights were protected and staff obtained people’s consent before providing care. The manager understood their responsibility to comply with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).

Complaints were dealt with appropriately and records retained about complaints included information about how the complaint had been handled and the outcome.

The manager and provider demonstrated a very good understanding of the importance of effective quality assurance systems in promoting a high quality of service. The provider was committed to delivering a good service that was person centred.