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Blake Court Limited

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

1 Newsholme Drive, Winchmore Hill, London, N21 1SQ (020) 8360 2622

Provided and run by:
Blake Court Limited

All Inspections

27 June 2022

During an inspection looking at part of the service

About the service

Blake Court Limited provides personal care to older people living within an extra care setting. People using the service lived within flats as part of a gated community in North London. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting eight people with the regulated activity of 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 told us they felt safe with the care and support they or their relative received. However, despite positive feedback we found issues with the management of people risks, management of medicines and management oversight which placed people at increased risk of harm.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service, however they did not identify the issues we found during the inspection. We found the service had not addressed concerns found at the previous inspection.

We made a recommendation around staff recruitment.

People were kept safe from the risk of infection and COVID-19.

People were supported by kind and caring staff who understood their responsibility to report any concerns.

Staff told us the management team was supportive and they could raise any concerns. People and their relatives told us they were satisfied with the service provided.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 6 May 2021) and there were breaches of regulation. At this inspection we found the provider remained in breach of regulations. This service has been rated requires improvement for the last two consecutive inspections.

Why we inspected

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 16 March 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment, staff recruitment and good governance.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained the same. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

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

Enforcement and Recommendations

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

16 March 2021

During an inspection looking at part of the service

About the service

Blake Court Limited operates and manages residential retirement homes for older people wishing to maintain their independence without having to move into a residential or nursing home setting. People have access to extra care services where there is an identified need. Blake Court has 71 flats and is part of a gated community in North London. At the time of this inspection five people were receiving the regulated activity of personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

One person and relatives were happy with the care they and their family member received and spoke highly of the registered manager, duty managers and housekeeping assistants. However, despite the positive feedback we identified issues and concerns around staff recruitment processes, risk management, medicines management and management oversight.

Identified risks associated with people’s health and care needs were not always comprehensively assessed and documented. This meant that care staff, referred to as housekeeping assistants, did not have available clear and detailed information on how to minimise risk potentially placing people at risk of harm.

Staff recruitment checks were not robust and did not always provide assurance that staff employed had been appropriately assessed as safe to work with vulnerable adults.

Managerial oversight of the service was ineffective and did not identify the issues we found as part of this inspection. A number of policies and procedures had not been reviewed since 2017 which meant that staff did not have access to current guidance and process.

Records confirmed that people received their medicines safely and as prescribed. However, minor issues identified with medicines management and an out of date medicines policy meant that people may be placed at the risk of receiving their medicines unsafely.

Housekeeping assistants understood safeguarding and how to keep people safe from abuse. Staff told us that they received training to support them in their role.

Relatives feedback about the registered manager and the way in which Blake Court was managed was positive stating that housekeeping assistants were kind, caring and approachable.

Communication between people, relatives and the service was very good. People and relatives were regularly updated about the service and relevant changes.

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 (published 24 May 2017).

Why we inspected

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 19 April 2017. The service was rated good at that time. Due to the length of time since the last inspection, we undertook this focused inspection to check and confirm that the service continued to meet legal requirements.

We reviewed the key questions of safe, caring and well-led only to check and ensure people were receiving safe, good quality care.

During the inspection we identified concerns around risk management, recruitment, medicines management and management oversight processes. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Blake 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.

19 April 2017

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on 19 April 2017 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice that we would be coming. We gave notice to the provider of this inspection because we needed to be sure that someone would be available to support us with the inspection process.

The service was last inspected and rated on 11 July 2014 and was rated Good.

At this inspection we found that the service remained Good.

Blake Court Limited is a supported living service which consists of seventy three flats. People are given varying levels of support with their personal care dependent on their needs. At the time of our inspection there were 14 people using the service.

People living at Blake Court told us they were happy and content. They felt safe knowing that someone would always be available to support them when assistance was required.

Care staff knew what safeguarding meant and were able to describe the different types of abuse and the actions they would take where abuse was suspected.

A number of robust systems and processes were in place to ensure people were kept safe and free from harm. Risk assessments had been completed and reviewed, which identified people’s individual risks associated with their health and care needs.

Recruitment processes were seen to be safe and comprehensive to ensure that all staff employed were suitable to work with vulnerable.

People’s medicines were managed safely and sufficient numbers of staff were available to support people according to their needs and requirements.

Staff told us and records confirmed that they received regular training which supported them in their role. Staff confirmed that they received regular supervisions and an annual appraisal but in addition a member of the management team was always available whenever additional support was required.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Blake court provides minimal support to people to enable them to maintain their independence. People were able to choose and cook their own meals, but where support was required this was assessed and provided where appropriate. Blake Court also had dining facilities within the building where people had the option to have a cooked meal prepared for them and for them to dine in the communal areas.

People were able to access a variety of healthcare professionals where required and were supported by staff to access additional support if and when needed.

The management and staff knew the people they supported well and were aware of their likes, dislikes, personalities, needs and requirements. We observed caring and positive interactions which had been established based upon trust and mutual respect.

Care plans were detailed, person centred and clearly outlined the person’s needs and requirements as per their wishes. Information provided within the care plan also included background information about the person, their life and information about people that were important to them.

People were able to access a variety of activities that were planned and organised by the service.

People and relatives knew who to complain to if they had any concerns or issues to raise. The service had not received any complaints since the last inspection but if a complaint was made there were clear processes were in place on how this would be dealt with.

People and relatives knew the registered manager and felt confident in approaching them and the management team whenever they needed to. Staff told us that they felt appropriately supported in their role. A number of systems were in place which monitored the quality of care delivered and included quality satisfaction surveys, care plan audits and health and safety checks.

Further information about our findings is detailed in the sections below.

11 July 2014

During a routine inspection

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 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by Care Quality Commission (CQC) which looked at the overall quality of the service.

We undertook an unannounced inspection to Blake Court on 11 July 2014. Blake Court Limited is a supported living service. The service consists of seventy three flats. People are given varying levels of support with their personal care dependent on their needs. At the time of our inspection seventeen people were using the service.

At our last inspection on 3 July 2013 the service met the regulations inspected.

The service had a registered manager who had been in post since December 2013. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

People were kept safe. People were supported to eat and drink. Staff supported people to attend healthcare appointments and liaised with their GP and other healthcare professionals as required to meet people’s needs.

Assessments were undertaken to identify people’s health and support needs and any risks to people who used the service and others. Plans were in place to reduce the risks identified. Care plans were developed with people who used the service to identify how they wished to be supported.

Staff had the skills and knowledge to support people who used the service. Staffing levels were flexible to meet the needs of people, and could be increased to support people who used the service.

The management team was accessible and approachable. Staff, people who used the service and relatives felt able to speak with the manager and provided feedback on the service. The manager undertook spot checks to review the quality of the service provided.

3 July 2013

During a routine inspection

People said that they were involved and consulted about decisions affecting their care. One person told us, 'care is provided with the utmost consideration to my needs.' People's needs were assessed and support was delivered to meet their individual needs. One person said, "staff understand what I need help with." People said that they received the care and support they needed. One person said, "the care here is very good. I would recommend this place to anybody."

People's health, safety and welfare was protected when more than one provider was involved in their care and treatment, or when they moved between different services. People told us that their care needs were acted on. For example, general practitioner's appointments were made for them when needed as well as other healthcare appointments.

Staff received appropriate professional development.The training matrix showed that all areas of mandatory training, such as manual handling, food hygiene and infection-control, had been updated. We saw training certificates that showed that all members of staff had completed this training.

The manager explained that system had been put in place to monitor the training and support provided for staff. Future training needs had been identified, and planned for. A survey of people view had been completed which meant that action could be taken to make improvements or changes if needed.

14 September 2012

During a routine inspection

The four people spoken with said they understood the care and treatment choices available to them. One person said, 'staff look after me'. People's needs were assessed and support was delivered to meet their individual needs. One person said, "they knew what I needed ".

People told us they felt the service was safe. However, other evidence did not support this as staff were not able to explain what abuse was and had not received training in safeguarding. People felt that staff knew how to meet their needs. However, other evidence did not support this as staff had not had training in mandatory areas or been supported to meet people's needs.