Archived: Guinness Care Quayside

Updated 4 April 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team: The inspection was carried out by one adult care inspector.

Service and service type:

Guinness Care Quayside is an extra care housing scheme (EXC) based in Totnes. The service provides care and support to people living in specialist “extra care” housing. Extra care housing is a 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 aggreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.

People using the service lived in 30 shared ownership flats and 30 rented flats within the complex.

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:

We gave the service notice of the inspection visit in line with our methodology for inspecting this type of service.

Inspection site visit activity started on 13 February 2019 and ended on 26 February 2019. We visited the office location on 13 and 14 February 2019 to see the registered manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. We visited people in their homes on 14 February and we contacted professionals following the site visit on February 26 2019.

What we did:

Before the inspection, we reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse and accident and incidents. We used all this information to plan our inspection. Provider are required to send us key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.” The provider had not been requested to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection.

During the inspection, we met with five people who used the service and two relatives. We spoke with the four staff and the registered manager. We spoke with two healthcare professionals during the inspection and contacted six professionals following the inspection. We received feedback from one. We reviewed four care plans, four staff files, compliments to the service and information related to governance for example newsletters, audits, policies and procedures.

Updated 4 April 2019

Guinness Care Quayside is an extra care housing scheme (EXC) based in Totnes. Care and support is provided to people in their own accommodation so they can live as independently as possible. The service opened in November 2017 and was registered with the Commission to provide personal care in April 2018.

This inspection looked at people’s personal care and support. On the day of the inspection 9 people who needed support with personal care were using the service.Sometimes people move into EXC schemes before they need either regulated care or housing related support, anticipating the need for it later on in their lives.

People’s experience of using this service:

• People using this service benefitted from exceptionally kind hearted and caring staff. People, relatives and professionals all shared overwhelmingly positive feedback. People told us, “It is spot on. Like a 5-star hotel!”; “Cannot find fault at all”; Whatever you ask, nothing is ever too much trouble.” Others’ commented, “Absolutely brilliant.” People we spoke with all scored the service 10/10 commenting, “Very caring, they know me well”; “I’ve been here a year, it felt like home straight away, all staff are extremely helpful. They feel like friends.” Another said, “I am disabled but I am treated like I have a voice!” Family feedback included, “My father in law moved into Quayside just as it opened. Since living here, we have had nothing but a helpful, kind, considerate and professional service” and, “The care staff are always friendly and polite.” Professionals all commented on how caring the service was, “People are happier, more content, their whole demeanour has changed” and, “The change in (person’s name) is phenomenal – they are like a different person. It has made such a big difference.”

People were supported to develop and maintain their independence and have choice and control over their daily lives. Staff supported people according to their individual preferences and needs. There was a drive to deliver person centred care which focused on getting the best outcomes possible for people. People were involved in planning their care and decisions about how care was delivered. People were in charge of their routines and were able to request support when they needed it.

• The outcomes for people using the service reflected the provider’s values and included; promoting independence, choice and control over day to day routines and inclusion and involvement in the local community. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills, develop and maintain their independence.

• Staff told us they were well supported through supervision and staff meetings. They commented on the availability of registered manager for support, advice and guidance at all times. Training covered a wide range of areas and was regularly refreshed. Staff were able to request additional training to meet people’s specific needs.

Where restrictions had been put in place to keep people safe this had been done in line with the requirements of the legislation as laid out in the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. Any restrictive practices were clearly recorded and regularly reviewed to check they were still necessary and proportionate. People were supported in the least restrictive way possible; the policies, systems and culture in the service supported this practice.

• Staff were motivated and proud to work at the service. Staff were encouraged to develop their skills and contribute to the running of the service. The registered manager was enthusiastic and keen to share their experiences with us. They had high expectations for people and this was shared with the staff team.

• The service was very well-led by a dedicated manager and team of senior staff, “The managers are absolutely fantastic, excellent communication.” The registered manager frequently goes above and beyond her duties in helping out.” A relative told us, “The manager is amazing, she provides a personal service and frequently goes above and beyond her duties in helping out” and “Good management, allied to innate sensitivity and genuine affection is a winning combination.” Professionals shared, “It is fantastic. It has been a real blessing to the community.”

This was the first rated comprehensive inspection since the service opened in November 2017.

Why we inspected: This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. Further inspections will be planned based on the rating. If we receive any concerns we may bring our inspection forward.

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