OSJCT Moorside Place

Updated 31 December 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 carried out by one adult social care 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 partly 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last 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 five people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 12 members of care staff including three team leaders, and the operations manager, who was supporting the service as the registered manager was on leave. We also met and spoke with the housing providers and on-site catering providers at both extra supported housing apartment blocks. During the inspection, we met and spoke with two visiting health professionals.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to training and supervision as well as a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

After the inspection

We received further information from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 31 December 2019

About the service

OSJCT Moorside is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in purpose-built extra care housing in two locations, one called Moorside Place and the other called Erdington House. 28 people in total across both sites were receiving personal care. Other people received services to support daily living such as cooking, cleaning and shopping. We only inspected the agency in respect of the personal care delivered. People using the service lived in blocks of apartments which were one and two bedded. Moorside Place had 54 apartments and Erdington House had 56 apartments. Different housing providers ran the two sites, which were about 5 miles apart. Each location had communal areas including communal lounge areas, a café/restaurant, a hairdressers and assisted bathrooms. There were also communal outdoor areas at each site. People in the local community were also able to use the communal lounges, café and hairdressers.

Not everyone using the service from OSJCT receives personal care, as some people only required assistance with activities such as cleaning and shopping. 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 complimented highly the care and support people received from care staff. They said staff were always attentive to their needs and were very mindful of their privacy and dignity. They said this had a very positive impact on their happiness and well-being. They said care staff were not rushed and always had enough time to support people well and at their own pace. People and staff described how they were able to provide care at times to suit the person, even if this was not at the planned time. For example, staff would go back to a person if they were not ready to get up for the day.

Staff went ‘the extra mile’ to ensure people received the care they needed, Staff made sure this not only met the person’s physical needs but also helped them live full and independent lives. People were encouraged by staff to stay independent and be involved in the community as much as possible. This included supporting people to attend activities run within the communal areas at each location, which OSJCT staff helped to run. Activities including hobbies, crafts and a dementia café run by a trained nurse funded by the provider.

Staff were very caring and responded to people’s needs at the end of their lives, going above and beyond by showing respect and kindness during people’s last days as well as when they died. Families commented extremely positively and commended the care their loved ones had received from staff. They described how staff had showed a lot of empathy, giving up their own time to support people and their families. Compliments described how the family had been well supported at these times and were also encouraged to remain in touch. Where a person had no known family, staff had ensured they attended the funeral and celebration of peoples’ lives afterwards.

People were encouraged 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 support this practice. Staff had been trained and understood how to work within the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and other legislation. Staff understood how each person communicated either verbally or by other means. Staff were able to respond appropriately to people using language they understood.

People were kept safe by staff who understood how to ensure they were not abused. Staff worked with the housing provider to respond to people when their needs changed. There was an alarm system which enabled people to call for staff whether they were in their apartment or in a communal area. This helped to ensure staff responded quickly if someone was in particular need. Staff administered medicines safely and ensured people were kept safe from the risk of infection.

Senior staff and managers understood their responsibilities to monitor the care provided and make improvements where issues were identified.

Rating at last inspection The last rating for this service was Good (published 16 May 2017).

Why we inspected This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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