Archived: ExtraCare Charitable Trust St Dominics Court

The service was last inspected in November 2013 when we found the provider was compliant with the essential standards described in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010.

St Dominic’s provides care to people in their own homes, within a single community. The service provides care and domiciliary support for older people and people with a learning disability who live in their own homes People were supported in 44 flats and 7 bungalows within the Extracare complex. Most people received personal care support with several visits each day. On the day of our inspection visit the service was providing support to 30 people. Some people who lived at St Dominic’s did not receive any support and were independent.

The service had a registered manager. 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. We refer to the registered manager as the manager in the body of this report.

People felt safe using the service and there were processes to minimise risks to people’s safety. These included procedures to manage identified risks with people’s care and for managing people’s medicines safely. Staff understood how to protect people from abuse and keep people safe. The character and suitability of staff was checked during recruitment procedures to make sure, as far as possible, they were safe to work with people who used the service.

There were enough staff to deliver the care and support people required. People said staff arrived around the time expected and stayed long enough to complete the care people required. People told us staff were kind and knew how people liked to receive their care.

Staff received an induction when they started working for the service and completed regular training to support them in meeting people’s needs effectively. People told us staff had the right skills to provide the care and support they required. Support plans and risk assessments contained relevant information for staff to help them provide the care people needed in a way they preferred.

Staff were supported by managers through regular meetings. There was an out of hours’ on call system in operation which ensured management support and advice was always available for staff. The managers understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), and staff respected people’s decisions and gained people’s consent before they provided personal care.

Everyone felt the manager was approachable. Communication was encouraged and identified concerns were acted upon by the manager and provider. People knew how to complain and information about making a complaint was available for people. Staff said they could raise any concerns or issues with the managers, knowing they would be listened to and acted on. The provider monitored complaints to identify any trends and patterns, and made changes to the service in response to complaints.

Quality assurance systems were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service and the focus was on continuous improvement. People and staff were involved in developing the service and there was strong leadership which promoted an open culture and which put people at the heart of the service. There was regular communication with people and staff whose views were gained in relation to how the service was run and to make improvements.

Everyone spoke well of the service, one person said, 'I Get on very well with all the staff they are wonderful.' Another person told us, 'They are very polite, work hard and are very patient. They always come when I expect them to.'

We found people using the service were safe because the staff were given clear instructions, support, training and guidance. People told us they were treated with care and compassion and the staff responded well to their needs or concerns.

We saw information regarding capacity and consent was in place. This meant the provider could demonstrate how arrangements to seek people's consent to care or treatment had been agreed in the person's best interests.

We checked to ensure medication was stored and administered in a safe way.

People told us that care and support was provided by skilled staff who knew their needs well.

The provider had systems in place to check on the quality of the care people received. The service was well led because the registered manager supported the staff team, had quality monitoring systems in place and managed risks effectively.

People using the service told us that their privacy and dignity were respected, comments included, 'I am well looked after, they are all so pleasant and caring.' Another person said, 'They are respectful and thoughtful, they always knock before they come in.'

People told us they received the care and support that met their individual needs and were happy with the staff team that supported them. We saw care records were kept up to date and included information about people's needs and preferences.

People using the service told us that they felt safe. We observed the way staff interacted with people and saw positive relationships. The staff were able to identify the signs of abuse and knew what to do if they had any concerns.

We looked at the recruitment procedures for staff and found that suitable systems were in place to protect people.

The provider had systems in place to check on the quality of the care people received because any complaints were responded to and the provider acted upon concerns to improve the service.