Background to this inspection
Updated
13 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 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. The registered manager was not present at this inspection as they were in the process of resigning from their post.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We contacted health and social care professionals for feedback about the service. 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with six people who used the service about their experience of the care and support provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the nominated individual, a service manager and three care workers. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.
We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people’s care and medicines records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and supervision. We also reviewed records used in the management of the service including policies and procedures, complaint logs, surveys, accident and incident records and minutes of meetings.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We also received feedback from three health and social care professional.
Updated
13 December 2019
Caring Companions at Watling Court is an extra care housing scheme providing support to people living in their own flats across three sites. Caring Companions provides care and support to 36 flats at Watling Court, 26 flats at Rosewell House and 12 Flats at Lawson House. At the time of this inspection, 67 people were being supported with 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
There were sufficient staff available to support people’s needs; however, people told us staff punctuality could be better. The provider followed appropriate recruitment practices and staff were checked before they began working at the service.
People told us they felt safe and had not experienced any abuse, neglect or discrimination. People were protected from the risk of avoidable harm because risks to people had been identified, assessed and had appropriate risk management plans in place. People’s medicines were safely managed. People were protected from the risk of infections. Lessons were learnt from accidents and incidents and management plans were put in place to prevent any repeat occurrences.
Before people began using the service, their needs were assessed to ensure they would be met. Staff were supported through induction, training and supervision to ensure they had the knowledge and skills to support people safely. People were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts for their health and wellbeing. People had access to healthcare services and the staff worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to plan and deliver an effective service. 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.
People were supported by staff that were kind and caring. People were involved in making decisions about their care and support needs and had choice and control over their lives. People’s privacy and dignity was respected, and their independence promoted.
People told us the care and support in place was meeting their needs and if they were unhappy they knew how to make a complaint. People’s communication needs had been assessed and met. The service had systems in place to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the service and to continuously learn to drive improvements. The service worked in partnership with key organisations to plan and deliver an effective service.
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 May 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.