The Care Quality Commission
  • Services in your home
  • Homecare service

Archived: Amber Court

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

11 Warton Road, Stratford, London, E15 2GE (020) 8548 2183

Provided and run by:
Genesis Housing Association Limited

All Inspections

20 March 2017

During a routine inspection

Genesis Housing Association Limited provides a supported living service to people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health issues and dementia. At the time of this inspection people living in 53 of the flats needed support with personal care. The building is purpose built and consists of 65 flats including four respite flats across nine floors. There is also a communal area with a homely feel which encourages people to spend time there to socialise. There is a café which has a large dining area and a smaller television area allowing people to watch television, play games or chat with each other.

At the last inspection in October 2014, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

We found staff knew how to report concerns or abuse. There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs who were employed through safe recruitment processes. Risk assessments were carried out and management plans put in place to enable people to receive safe care. Medicines were managed safely.

Staff received support through supervisions and training opportunities. People were supported to have 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 knew when they needed to obtain people’s consent. People were supported to eat a nutritionally balanced diet and had access to healthcare professionals as required to meet their day-to-day health needs.

Some people thought staff were kind and caring. Other people thought staff were focussed on completing tasks. The provider was working on staff attitudes in supervisions and team meetings. Staff were knowledgeable about respecting people’s privacy and dignity and maintain people’s independence.

Staff knew the people they were supporting including their preferences. A variety of activities were offered which included building life skills. Complaints were investigated and resolved in accordance with the service’s policy and procedures. The service kept a record of compliments.

There was a registered manager at the service. Staff spoke positively about the management team. People and their families were asked to give feedback on the service. The provider had regular meetings with staff and tenants. The service had various quality assurance systems and issues identified were used to improve the quality of service provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

21/10/2014 and 24/10/2014

During a routine inspection

Genesis Housing Association Limited provides a supported living service to people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health problems and dementia. The building is purpose built and consists of 65 flats across nine floors. There is also a communal area with a homely feel which encourages people to spend time there to socialise. There is a café which has a large dining area and a smaller television area allowing people to watch television, play games or chat with each other.

At the time of this inspection people living in 43 of the flats needed support with medication and in 29 of the flats needed support with personal care.

There was a manager at the service who was in the process of becoming a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

This inspection was unannounced and was carried out over two days on 21 and 24 October 2014. This was the first inspection to have taken place since the service first began to work with people.

People, family members and staff felt the manager was supportive and they would be able to approach them if they had concerns. Complaints were investigated and resolved in a way that was acceptable to people. People and their families were asked to give feedback on the service.

There were enough staff to provide support to people in a safe way and the service was in the process of recruiting a security person at night to ensure strangers were not let into building at night who might be a risk to people.

Each person had a detailed individual support plan which they helped put together. People were encouraged to do as much for themselves independently as they were able to. Detailed risk assessments were carried out to ensure people were able to participate in daily activities and go out as safely as possible.

Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. However staff recognised that their work was complex working with a wide range of needs and told us they would benefit from more specialist knowledge.

People and family members thought the service was caring, that staff and the manager listened to them and that the service had improved greatly since the manager had joined the service.