Housing 21 - Belsize Court

Updated 6 June 2023

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

Our inspection was completed by 1 inspector.

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.

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

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure the registered manager would be available to support the inspection. We also needed to obtain the consent from people using the service to meet with them to gather their feedback.

The inspection activity started on 17 May 2023 by visiting the provider's office to meet with the registered manager, staff and people using the service.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we had received about the service, including any statutory notifications received. The provider completed a 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager and 3 care workers. We reviewed a range of records including care and staff records and records relating to the management of the service. We spoke with 4 people using the service about their experiences of the care provided. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 6 June 2023

About the service

Housing 21 – Belsize Court is an extra care service providing personal care to people living in their own flats within Belsize Court in Sutton centre. At the time of the inspection 30 people were receiving personal care, most of whom were older people and required support to remain as independent as possible. 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 received the right support in relation to risks and these were assessed appropriately with guidance for staff. There were enough staff to support people safely and in a timely manner. The provider checked staff were suitable to work with people through recruitment checks. Staff received training in infection control practices, including the safe use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The registered manager was reviewing medicine systems with support from the local authority pharmacist to reduce the number of errors. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The registered manager and staff understood their role and responsibilities. The registered manager engaged and consulted well with people using the service and staff. Staff felt well supported by the registered manager. The registered manager understood their responsibility to notify CQC of significant events as required by law. The registered manager had good oversight of the service and a good understanding of areas for improvement. They had a clear action plan in place to make these improvements.

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 2 August 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

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