Housing 21 - Rowan Croft

Updated 31 July 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. 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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was conducted by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. 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 bought or 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.

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 announced. We gave the provider 24 hours’ notice to ensure staff would be available at the office location. We also asked them to seek the permission of people who used the service, for us to visit them.

Inspection activity started on 10 July 2019 and ended on 16 July 2019. We visited Rowan Croft on 10 July 2019 to see the registered manager and staff; and to review care records, policies and procedures. We also visited the people who agreed to meet with us. On 16 July 2019, we reviewed information the provider sent us after the site visit, and we contacted care staff for their feedback.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we had about Housing & Care 21 – Rowan Croft since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

At the site visit, we spoke with the registered manager and the assistant care manager. We reviewed four people’s care records. We looked at information kept regarding the management of the service. This included four staff records and records related to the quality and safety of the service.

We spoke with eight people who received personal care and support.

We emailed all staff for their feedback and to ask questions about their skills and knowledge. However we did not receive any responses. We also received feedback from a commissioning officer and two local authority care managers who worked in partnership with the service.

After our site visit, we requested some additional evidence to be sent to us. This was received, and the information was used as part of our inspection.

Updated 31 July 2019

About the service

Housing & Care 21 – Rowan Croft is an extra-care scheme. The building, known as a ‘Court’ has 45 apartments. At the time of this inspection, 49 older people lived at Rowan Croft, of which 31 received 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 were well cared for in the comfort of their own home by staff who provided high-quality, person-centred care. People’s privacy and dignity were protected, and staff were kind and respectful. Independence was encouraged, and people were involved in developing their care plans and making decisions.

People felt very safe living at Rowan Croft with support from caring and friendly staff, who knew them well. People’s care needs were assessed and the risks they faced were reduced. Accidents and incidents were recorded and reported as required.

Good partnership working between staff and external professionals ensured people achieved positive outcomes. People were supported to maintain or regain their independence. The service was flexible and could easily be changed and adapted to meet people's varying needs and wishes.

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 supported people to take part in social activities and pursue their hobbies and interests. This helped to reduce loneliness and promote socialisation with family, friends and neighbours.

The quality and safety of the service was closely monitored through checks and audits. The registered manager achieved high standards through continuous improvement and development.

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 23 November 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.