Archived: ExtraCare Charitable Trust Verona Court

Verona Court provides personal care for people aged 55 and over. People receive care and support in their own individual flats in a purpose built complex. There are communal facilities including a dining room and activity room. At the time of our inspection, there were 31 people receiving personal care and support.

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 were protected from the risk of harm and abuse as staff knew how to identify and report safeguarding concerns. People’s risks were assessed and managed in a safe way by a staff group who knew people well. Staff promoted the prevention and control of infection by wearing correct equipment and adhering to policy and procedures. Medicines were managed safely.

People’s needs were assessed and planned for in line with legislation and good practice guidelines. People received support to maintain a balanced diet and had access to healthcare professionals and services as required.

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; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff were kind and caring and treated people in a way that promoted their independence, privacy and dignity.

Care and support was personalised to meet the needs, wishes and preferences of people. People were supported to take part in activities that were tailored to people’s interests. People knew how to make a complaint if necessary.

There was a registered manager in post who was committed to meeting the service values through improving and sustaining good practice. The registered manager worked well with other agencies and professionals to provide quality care and support for people.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (report published 6 July 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for ExtraCare Charitable Trust Verona Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.

The ExtraCare Charitable Trust Verona Court provides personal care for people living in a purpose built complex where there are induvial flats with shared facilities that included a dining and activity room. There were 33 people receiving personal care when we inspected and there was a 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they the care they received helped them to remain safe in their homes. People also knew the care staff that came into their home and told us that care staff never missed a call. When we spoke with care staff they told us how they looked out for the potential signs of abuse and the action they would take to protect people. Where people needed support to minimise their risk of harm or injury these had been discussed and recorded so care staff knew the support needed.

People’s needs were met at the times people had requested as there were enough care staff. People were able to look after their own medicines or care staff were able to manage this for them when needed. Care staff had been trained and knew the steps to follow where people required support. Care staff received regular training and they told us the training reflected the specific needs of the people they cared for.

People had given consent and this had been recorded in their care plans. People also told us that care staff always asked them before carrying out any care. Care plans were in place which detailed the care people wished to receive. People had the choice to have their meal purchased from within the housing scheme. Care staff also provided support in people’s homes to prepare meals requested by the person. People told us they looked after their own healthcare appointments as required to meet their needs. Care staff told us they arranged appointments on a person’s behalf if asked and would always follow any healthcare advice as required.

People told us they enjoyed the company of the care staff when they visited and that the care they received met their needs. People felt encouraged by care staff be involved in their own care and were comfortable that their dignity and privacy was respected.

People were involved in planning their care and their changing needs were supported and recognised by care staff. People told us that if they had comments or concerns that they would raise these with care staff.

People knew the registered manager and felt they were available when they needed to contact them. Care staff felt the management team listened to and involved them when providing feedback on the scheme. The management team ensured regular checks were completed to monitor the quality of the care that people received and had identified areas they felt would improve the service for people.

We found that consent was obtained from people before they were offered care and support. One person told us, 'They are always asking me for my permission.'

We found that people's care was planned and delivered appropriately. We observed that staff responded to people's needs in a timely manner. One person said, 'This place is great.'

Processes were in place to ensure staff were supported in their role. People we spoke with were complimentary about the way staff cared for and supported them.

People told us they were aware of how to complain and would do so if they were not happy with the service. One person said, 'I have no complaints about this place.' We found that complaints were dealt with promptly.

Records we looked at were easily accessible, fit for purpose and accurate.

We found that people were involved in making day to day decisions about the care they received. The care people received was reflected in their care plans, and people received care which supported their needs.

The service was a safe place for people to live and people were protected from harm. People said that they felt safe living at the service and one person told us, 'I don't worry about nothing at all'.

We saw that staff were recruited in a safe way and the correct checks were carried out to ensure their suitability to care for people. People were happy with the staff, one person told us they were, 'satisfied with what they're doing'. Another person told us they, 'got on well' with staff.

The service carried out audit work which meant that people who lived there could be assured of the quality of their service delivery and the safety of equipment and premises.

People told us they were aware of how to complain and felt confident if they needed to complain. They also told us they were, 'content living here'.