Archived: Camden Street

Updated 22 December 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

We inspected Camden street on 30 October 2018. We gave 24 hours' notice so the visit was announced. We gave notice because the service provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure staff and the registered manager would be available to speak with us about the service. This was a comprehensive inspection and was undertaken by one inspector.

Before our visit we reviewed the information, we held about the service. This included information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give us some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. During our visit we found the PIR was an accurate assessment of how the service operated.

During our visit we spoke with the manager, area manager, a senior carer, four care staff, three relatives', and five people to obtain their views of the service.

We looked at four people's care records in detail and other records related to people's care including medicine records and records completed by staff at people's home's. This was to see how people were supported and to assess whether people's care delivery matched what they had agreed.

We spoke with the local authority commissioning officer who had no new information to share at the time of our visit. Commissioners are people who work to find appropriate care and support services which are paid for by the local authority.

We reviewed three staff files to check staff were recruited safely and were trained to deliver the care and support people required. We looked at training records, staff allocation sheets, policies and procedures and accident and incident records. We also viewed quality monitoring checks the registered manager completed to assure themselves people received a good quality service.

Updated 22 December 2018

The inspection took place on 30 October 2018 and was announced. The provider was given short notice of our visit because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available to spend time with us. This was the first inspection of the service since its registration with us in 2017.

Camden Street is registered to provide personal care 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. Camden Street provides accommodation that is 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 only looked at people's personal care service.

At Camden Street there are 30 one-bedroom flats. There is a communal lounge and a communal kitchen on ground floor that people can use if they wish. Other communal facilities include a lift to each floor, laundry and garden.

At the time of this inspection, there were 10 people living at Camden Street who were supported with personal care.

At the time of our inspection the service did not have a registered manager. A new manager was in post however their application to become a registered manager was still being processed by CQC. 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 protected from the risk of abuse because staff received training in safeguarding people and understood their responsibility to report any concerns. The provider checked staff were suitable to carry out their role before they started working for the service.

People's care plans explained the risks to their individual health and wellbeing and the actions staff needed to take to support them safely. Processes were in place to review care plans to update information when people’s needs changed so they received the right support.

We found that there were appropriate arrangements in place for the safe management, administration and storage of medicines. Records showed that managers carried out checks to make sure people had taken their medicines. Staff who administered medicines had received training in this.

Staff regularly attended supervision meetings with the manager to discuss their practice and personal development. We found that there were sufficient numbers of trained staff to support people and staff.

People told us they were supported by staff who cared for them as individuals, treating them with dignity and respect. Staff understood people's needs and interests and encouraged them to maintain their independence according to their wishes and abilities.

Most staff members were positive about working for the service and felt supported by the management team. They had built positive relationships with people and supported people to access healthcare professionals and community services.

People knew how to complain if they were unhappy and they were confident that their concerns would be responded to efficiently and effectively.