Housing 21 - Keelboat Lodge

Updated 28 April 2020

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 team was made up of 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

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because of the type of service, we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity took place on 6 and 13 March 2020. We spoke with people who used the service and their relatives, visited the office location and spoke with staff.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We also contacted Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, assistant housing manager, two assistant care managers, four care workers and the care administrator.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and four people’s medicines records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 28 April 2020

About the service

Housing 21 – Keelboat Lodge is an extra care housing scheme that provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service supported 54 people.

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 relatives spoke positively about the service and felt it was safe and staff were caring. Comments from people included, “Nothing could be better,” and “This place is absolutely unbelievable, the whole feeling of belongingness and friendliness. It is like having another family.”

There were systems in place to keep people safe. Staff safeguarded people from abuse where possible. Risks to people’s health, safety and well-being were managed. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and safe recruitment processes were followed. Medicines were safely administered and managed. The provider learned from previous accidents and incidents to reduce future risks.

People’s needs were assessed before they received support. Staff received regular training and were supported through regular supervisions, observations and annual appraisals. Staff supported people with their nutritional needs and to access a range of health care professionals. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives, and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff supported people in a respectful, dignified manner. One relative said, “They [staff] always talk nicely to my [family member] and show respect.” People were encouraged to maintain their independence and had access to advocacy services.

People received person-centred care. Care plans detailed how people wanted to be supported by staff with different tasks. Complaints were investigated and actioned. People and relatives knew how to raise any concerns and felt confident in doing so.

People and relatives were happy with the service and felt it was well-managed. The registered manager promoted an open and honest culture and was approachable. The provider had an effective quality assurance process in place which included regular audits. People and relatives were regularly consulted about the quality of the service through surveys and meetings. Staff were involved in the ongoing development and improvement of the service through regular meetings.

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 18 August 2017).

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.