Archived: Jasmine Court

Jasmine Court provides care and support to people living in a specialist ‘extra care’ housing development in the High Wycombe area. Extra care housing is 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. At the time of our visit there were eight people using the service.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found:

People said they were safe from harm and knew what to do if they felt unsafe. Staff had received appropriate training to ensure people were kept safe from abuse. Risk management plans were in place to ensure identified risks were mitigated. We found there was enough staff to provide care and support to people. Recruitment processes ensured people received care from staff who were of good character, but job application forms were not always fully completed. We have made a recommendation about this in the report. Safe administration of medicines was in place and staff practices ensured people were protected from the risks of infection.

Assessments of people’s care and support needs confirmed people received effective care and support. Staff received appropriate induction, training and supervision. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. People’s nutritional needs were met where they required to be supported. The service ensured staff worked with health and social care professionals to ensure people’s health needs were met.

People spoke positively about the caring nature of staff. A person commented, “I would give them (staff) 10 out of 10, I am never disrespected, not once.” Staff had developed good working relationships with the people and demonstrated a good knowledge and understanding of people’s care, support needs and life stories. Plans of care instructed staff how to carry out personalised care. This included promoting people’s independence and treating them with dignity and respect. People were comfortable with the staff who cared and supported them and staff listened attentively to what people had to say. This was observed during our visits.

People said their care and support needs were assessed before they joined the service. This ensured the service could be responsive to people’s needs and provide them with the care they said they wanted. People said they were involved in decisions about their care. Care records confirmed what they told us. The service was compliant with the Accessible Information Standard by making sure the communication needs for people with disabilities and sensory impairments were met. People knew how to raise concerns and said concerns raised were responded to satisfactorily however, these were not always documented. We have made a recommendation about this in the report.

People spoke positively about the service and staff felt management were approachable and treated them fairly. Quality assurance systems in place to assess and monitor the service ensured people received good quality, safe and effective care. People were able to give their opinions about various aspects of the services received and these were responded to appropriately. The registered manager was looking at ways the working environment could be more inclusive to people and staff who belonged the lesbian, bi-sexual, gay and transgender (LBGT) community.

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 31 January 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

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

Jasmine Court provides personal care and support to older people in their own flats which are all located on site. At the time of our inspection there were 9 people receiving personal care and support from Jasmine Court.

A registered manager was in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

The service was safe. Risk assessments were in place to minimise identified risks whilst supporting people to remain independent. Staff knew how to identify and report safeguarding concerns. Where necessary the service had reported these concerns to the local authority and the Commission. People’s medicines were stored and administered safely by trained and competent staff.

Robust recruitment procedures were in place to ensure the relevant checks of staff had been completed. Staff undertook an induction programme when they began work and received regular on-going training. Staff had training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and could apply their knowledge within their roles.

The service was not always effective as staff did not receive regular supervision to support them within their role. People and relatives were not always clear on who key staff members were such as the registered manager and senior staff members.

We observed good relationships between people and staff. Staff knew people well and ensured there was a friendly and positive atmosphere within the service. Positive comments were made by people and relatives about staff’s caring approach and attentiveness.

Staff were responsive to people’s care and support needs. Care records were person centred, showing people’s personal preferences and choices. People said they privacy was respected. People said they felt well supported whilst remaining independent.

The service was well-led. Regular audits ensured that the quality of care was monitored and reviewed. Areas that were identified as needing further action were completed. Opportunities for people to socialise were provided by the service. Feedback was sought from people in the form of a questionnaire. Communication was effective amongst the staff team through meetings, records and handovers.

We read care plans for people who used the service. Care plans contained detailed information of people's medical, social and support needs. Care plans were reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they reflected people's needs. We saw relevant risk assessments were undertaken and recorded to reduce the likelihood of injury of harm.

We looked at recruitment checks for members of staff. We saw the provider had a robust system to ensure all appropriate checks where undertaken prior to undertaking employment. We saw all staff had Disclosure and Barring checks (DBS) to ensure their suitability to work with vulnerable adults.

We looked at staff supervision records, appraisals and training records. Staff members were supported appropriately within their roles through ongoing training and supervision. One member of staff told us "I love working here." Another staff member told us "I find supervision very helpful and useful." We saw appraisals were undertaken yearly on the anniversary of staff members' start date.

People said the staff helped them to maintain their independence. One person who had recently moved into accommodation said that staff dropped in to their flat occasionally for a chat. Two people told us they felt safe and secure at Jasmine Court. There was always a member of staff around to talk to.

Another person also said the staff were very supportive. However, they said it was difficult to avoid feeling lonely at times and they wished there were more activities. They also said they would like to go to Church but would need help with that. The service provided one meal a day at lunchtime. Other meals were cooked in people's own accommodation. One person told us they'd like 'Less mince'. A number of people could not recall meeting the manager but did know the staff team co-ordinator.

We found people's needs were assessed and their care was provided in line with their care plan. People were protected against the risk of abuse. Staff supported people in the safe administration of medicines. Staff were supported in providing care and support to people. The provider had a system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the care people were receiving.