Bridge Court

Updated 13 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:

One adult social care inspector carried out this inspection.

Service and service type:

Bridge Court is a Domiciliary Service that provides personal care to people living in their own flats.

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 comprehensive inspection visit took place on 26 March 2019 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice because the location provided a service to people who lived in the community. We needed to be sure that we could access the office premises and speak with people.

The registered provider is the Chief Executive Officer of the Methodist Homes Association who supports the registered manager in the operation of the service. Registered providers 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.

What we did:

During the inspection visit we spoke with both the registered manager and four people who lived at the service. We also observed interactions between the people, management and staff. This helped us understand the experiences of the person.

We looked at the care records for four people and discussed their activities and interests with them. We looked at records relating to the management of the service. We checked the environmental and personal risk assessments. This enabled us to determine if the person received care and support they needed in an appropriate safe way.

Updated 13 April 2019

About the service: Bridge Court is located in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands. It is a domiciliary care and extra care housing service that provides personal care to people who

are tenants. At the time we inspected, Bridge Court was providing personal care to 26 people who lived at the scheme. The service caters for older and younger adults who may have a range of needs, for example a learning disability, mental health need or a physical or sensory disability.

People’s experience of using this service: People we spoke with told us they felt safe with the management and staff that support them. A person living at the service told us “That she is never frightened as there were people around all the time and staff are only a buzzer away.”

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their life and they were supported in the least restrictive way possible.

Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. These had been kept under review and were relevant to the care provided.

Staff spoken with respected and understood a person’s right to privacy and promoted their independence. People told us staff were kind, caring and showed them respect. People's dignity and privacy was respected and they were able to make choices about how their care was delivered. People's independence was promoted.

The registered manager and staff observed and spoken with showed respect and kindness towards people. They were passionate about their role and told us that people who live here come first and we do everything we can to ensure they have the best quality of life. People were involved in making decisions about their care.

We met a number of people who used the service all were relaxed and we saw people were comfortable with staff.

People’s nutritional needs were met and a number of food options were available. People could choose to cook in their flat or they could order a meal and have it delivered to their flat or eat in the communal restaurant. People were encouraged to eat healthy meals and staff provided advice on health and well-being. The management team and staff knew when to refer people to other health professionals for advice and support.

There was a complaints procedure which was made available to people. People told us they would discuss any concerns or worries with the care staff. A leaflet entitled ‘No Secrets Here’ was available in the entrance hall for all relatives and visitors to take. This provided a confidential number to discuss any concerns and obtain advice.

Rating at last inspection: Good (21 July 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. Ongoing monitoring included information that quality had improved. We checked this in looking at the quality and safety of the service.

Follow up: The next scheduled inspection will be in keeping with the overall rating. We will continue to monitor information we receive from and about the service. We may inspect sooner if we receive concerning information about the service.

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