Dame Alice Court

Updated 13 April 2019

The inspection: We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team: One inspector carried out this inspection.

Service and service type: Dame Alice Court is a supported living service registered to provide personal care to people in their own home. The service is situated in Dame Alice Court Housing scheme and provides 24-hour care and support to people who live in their own flats.

On the day of our inspection 32 people were using the service. Not everyone using Dame Alice Court received a regulated activity. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care', help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection: This inspection was unannounced.

What we did: Inspection site visit activity started on 29 January 2019 and ended on 29 January 2019. We visited the office location on 29 January 2019 to see the people being supported and their relatives. We also visited to see the registered manager and staff and to review care records and policies and procedures.

Before the inspection we gathered and reviewed information that we received from the provider on the provider information return (PIR). This is a document that the provider sent us saying how they were meeting the regulations, identified any key achievements and any plans for improvement. We also reviewed all information received from external sources such as the local authority and reviews of the service.

During the inspection we:

• We spoke with three people using the service, two relatives, three care staff, one catering staff, two team leaders, the housing scheme manager. a QCF assessor and the registered manager.

• Gathered information from four care files which included all aspects of care and risk.

• Looked at three staff files including all aspects of recruitment, supervisions, and training records.

• Records of accidents, incidents and complaints.

• Audits, surveys and minutes of staff and professional meetings.

• Policies and procedures relating to the management of the service.

Following the inspection, we received further evidence from the provider which showed outstanding characteristics in the Responsive KLOE.

Updated 13 April 2019

About the service: Dame Alice Court provides support to people living in their own flats within one building. The service supports older people, younger adults, people living with a physical disability, people living with a sensory impairment and people with dementia.

People’s experience of using this service: People received personalised care to an outstanding level. People’s preferences were met and they could remain independent and in control of their care.

People and their relatives were very positive about this. One person visibly showed us how happy they were to keep their independence due to measures put in place by the management and staff team.

People were supported with dignity and respect at the end of their lives and staff went the extra mile to ensure people’s choices and preferences were met.

People were very positive and spoke highly about the care they received.

Staff were passionate about providing care to people. We saw that staff were kind and compassionate to people in their interactions.

Systems and processes kept people safe form the risk of harm and abuse. People told us they felt safe at the service when being supported with all aspects of their care including being supported with medicines.

Staff recruitment procedures were thorough and included all necessary criminal record checks.

Staff told us they received adequate training, supervision and competency assessments to carry out their job roles effectively.

People received support from healthcare professionals. Staff worked well with these professionals to ensure that people received the support they needed.

People’s privacy and dignity was respected. People were supported to remain independent in their lives as much as possible and this was promoted by the staff team. People were positive about how they could make choices and do things independently.

People were positive about the management of the service and felt able to contribute ideas about peoples care and support needs.

The management team were passionate about providing high quality person centred care.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 06 April 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. During this inspection we found evidence continued to support the rating of good and the service had improved to Outstanding in one area (responsive). More information is in the full report.

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