Background to this inspection
Updated
5 April 2016
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.
This inspection took place on 15 and 17 December 2015 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice so they could arrange for people and staff to be available to talk with us about the service. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
We reviewed information received about the service, for example, the statutory notifications the service had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events, such as an accident that occurred in a person’s home. The provider is required to send these to us by law. We also spoke with the local authority to check if they had any concerns about the service. They confirmed there were no current concerns.
During our visit to the service, we spoke with the manager, a visiting area co-ordinator, three staff (including care workers and team leaders) and six people.
We reviewed two people’s care records to see how their care and support was planned and delivered. We looked at other records related to people’s care and how the service operated. These included, records care workers used to show them the support people were to receive and at what times, medication records, the processes for managing complaints and the service’s quality records which included audits and notes of meetings with people and staff.
Updated
5 April 2016
Princethorpe Court provides personal care and support to older people who occupy or own their own apartments located within the premises. There are 48 homes based at Princethorpe Court but at the time of our visit only 25 people received support with personal care.
We visited Princethorpe Court on 15 and 17 December 2015. We told the provider before the inspection visit we were coming so they could arrange for staff to be available to talk with us about the service.
The service has a manager who is in the process of registering with us. The manager had been in post since June 2015. 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.
People who lived at Princethorpe Court told us they felt safe. Care workers who supported them understood their responsibilities to protect people from abuse and had carried out training on safeguarding people. There were processes to minimise risks to people’s safety which included comprehensive assessments of their needs to identify what they could do independently and what they needed support with. People’s medicines were managed by care workers if risks had been identified with people doing this independently.
There were enough suitably trained care workers to deliver safe and effective care to people. No new care workers had been employed at the service since our last inspection. Recruitment procedures ensured appropriate checks were carried out before new care workers were employed. This was to ensure they were suitable to work with people who used the service.
People told us care workers had the right skills and experience to provide the care and support they required and did not rush their care when they supported them. Care plans contained relevant information to help care workers provide the personalised care people required. Care workers helped people to prepare meals of their choice or to attend the restaurant at Princethorpe Court where a choice of nutritious meals was available.
The manager understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA). Care workers respected people’s rights to make their own decisions and gained people’s consent before they provided personal care.
People were supported by a consistent group of care workers who were kind, caring and respectful towards them. People told us care workers supported them to maintain their independence and were always mindful of protecting their privacy and dignity.
Most of the care workers had worked at the service for many years and knew people’s needs and preferences well. People told us care workers met their needs in accordance with their wishes most of the time. A varied programme of activities and entertainment was organised and regularly provided by the service which people were able to participate in if they wished. People had an opportunity to say what social activities and entertainment they would like by attending ‘Street’ meetings which were held on a monthly basis in the communal areas of the building.
There had been one formal complaint received about the service which had been acted upon in a timely manner by the manager. People felt confident to raise any concerns or issues with the manager or staff if they needed to.
The management team were knowledgeable about people and their care needs and were open to people’s views. There were processes to monitor the quality of the service provided and understand the experiences of people who used the service. The provider carried out quality checks to ensure people received care and support in accordance with their needs and preferences. Results from quality satisfaction surveys showed a high level of satisfaction with the service.