Background to this inspection
Updated
23 February 2019
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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.
The inspection was prompted by concerns raised by members of the public in relation to the quality of care provided.
This inspection took place on 14 and 21 January 2019 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice to ensure there was somebody at the location to allow us entry into the building. One inspector carried out this inspection.
Before the inspection, we looked at the evidence we already held about the service including notifications the provider had sent to us. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We contacted the local authority with responsibility for commissioning care from the service to seek their views about the service.
During the inspection, we spoke with seven staff which included the locality business manager, the learning officer, senior care and support worker and four care and support workers. We also spoke with four people who used the service. We reviewed four care records including risk assessments and care plans and reviewed four staff records including recruitment and supervision. We looked at records relating to how the service was managed including staff training, medicines, policies and procedures and quality assurance documentation.
After the inspection we spoke with two relatives of people who used the service.
Updated
23 February 2019
Windmill Court provides care and support 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. The accommodation 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 looked at people’s personal care and support service.
People using the service lived in 44 self-contained one or two bedroom flats in a single building. There was a communal area on each floor and a communal dining area on the ground floor. At the time of this inspection, 32 flats were receiving a personal care and support service.
This inspection took place on 14 and 21 January 2019 and was announced. At the previous inspection which took place on 22 August 2016 the service was rated as Good.
The service did not have 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. The previous registered manager had left employment in July 2018 and the provider was in the process of recruiting to the position. A senior member of the care staff team was acting as interim manager.
Staff were knowledgeable about reporting safeguarding concerns and whistleblowing. The provider carried out risk assessments to reduce the risks of harm people may face. Recruitment checks were carried out before new staff began working at the service. There were enough staff employed to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. The provider had systems in place to manage people’s medicines safely. People were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection. The provider had systems in place to record and learn from accidents and incidents.
The provider assessed people’s needs before they began to use the service to ensure the right care could be provided. Staff were supported with training opportunities and regular supervision. There were communication systems in place to ensure changes in people’s needs were passed onto staff coming on duty. People were supported with their nutrition and to maintain their health. The provider and staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the need to obtain documented and verbal consent before delivering care.
Staff were knowledgeable about people’s care needs and preferences. Staff understood how to develop caring relationships with people. The provider involved people and their relatives in the care planning process. Staff were knowledgeable about equality and diversity. People’ privacy, dignity and independence were promoted.
People’s care preferences were respected. Staff understood how to deliver personalised care. Care plans were personalised and contained people’s preferences. People’s communication needs were met. The provider had a system to record and deal with complaints. Staff received end of life care training so they would be prepared to provide this type of care appropriately should this be required.
The provider had a system to obtain feedback from people using the service and their relatives in order to identify areas for improvement. People and staff had regular meetings to keep updated on service development. The provider carried out quality audits and worked in partnership with other agencies to identify areas for improvement.