Trinity Apartments

Updated 7 December 2022

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

One inspector carried out a site visit and an Expert by Experience contacted people and relatives by telephone. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is rented and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we wanted to be sure the registered manager would be available in the office to speak with us.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed the information we had received about the service since registering with us in June 2022. We sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 3 people who used the service and 3 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 4 members of staff including the registered manager, team leader and care staff. We reviewed a range of records, including 3 people's care records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff support and a range of records relating to how the service operated and was managed.

Updated 7 December 2022

About the service

Trinity Apartments is an extra care housing scheme made up of 52 self-contained apartments. The service can support people with personal care which is provided by a team of care staff through pre-arranged calls. At the time of our inspection 21 people were receiving personal care.

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 and their relatives were happy with the care provided. Staff knew how to keep people safe

from harm. Risk assessments for people and their environments were in place and up to date. Staff were recruited safely and trained to provide support in administering medicines.

People were confident their care was provided by staff who had received an induction and the training they needed to do their job. The registered manager ensured staff had access to specialist training to further enhance the support provided.

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.

People received care which was personalised to their needs. They were included in writing their care plans and in the decisions about the care they received. Staff knew people well and used this to encourage and support people to be as independent as possible.

Staff were responsive to the needs of each individual. They used a range of skills to aid communication and considered people’s religious and cultural needs. Complaints were managed well and responded to in a timely way.

The registered manager had good oversight of the service. Audits were used to ensure continuing quality improvement and staff felt included in this. People and relatives talked highly of the registered manager and the staff. They felt the culture of the service was positive and everyone was working to provide good care.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 22 June 2022 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection to provide a rating for the service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.