Archived: Towes Court

Updated 30 November 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 was 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.

This inspection took place on 9 November 2018 and was an announced inspection. We told the provider two days before our visit that we would be coming. We did this because the manager is sometimes out of the office supporting staff or visiting people who use the service. We needed to be sure that someone would be in. This inspection was conducted by one inspector.

Before the inspection we looked at previous inspection reports and notifications received from the provider. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. This ensured we were addressing any areas of concern.

We spoke with four people, two relatives, four care staff, the manager, the team leader and the operations manager. We looked at seven people's care records, six staff files and medicine administration records. We also looked at a range of records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 30 November 2018

We undertook an announced inspection of OSJCT Towes Court on 9 November 2018.

Towes Court offers domiciliary care and twenty-four-hour emergency cover for up to 40 people in self-contained flats. The accommodation is either rented or shared ownership and is contained in a new building, located in Goring Oxfordshire. The service is part of the Order of St John Care Trust. On the day of our inspection 19 people were receiving a personal care service.

There was a not registered manager in post. 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. However, we saw evidence that the post of registered manager had been recruited to.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated good:

The service continued to provide safe care to people. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and understood their responsibilities to identify and report any concerns. The provider had safe recruitment and selection processes in place, these included completing checks to make sure new staff were safe to work with vulnerable adults.

Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed. People's care plans contained risk assessments which included risks associated with people’s care. There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people's needs.

People continued to receive effective care from staff who had the skills and knowledge to support them. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the procedures in the service supported this practice. People were supported to maintain good health.

The service continued to provide support in a caring way. People benefited from caring relationships with staff who treated them with dignity and respect. People were involved in their care and supported to remain independent.

The service continued to be responsive. People received personalised care by staff who understood people's individual needs and preferences. People's changing needs were responded to appropriately.

At our last inspection of OSJCT Towes Court on 11 May 2016 we rated the service as requires improvement in well-led. At this inspection we found the service had improved to good in well-led because, people told us the service was well managed. People knew the managers and staff and spoke positively about them. The service sought people's views and opinions and acted upon them.

The service had established effective systems to assess the quality of care the service provided. Learning was identified and action taken to make improvements which improved people's safety and quality of life.