We carried out a review of the data available to us about Berrington Court on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Berrington Court, you can give feedback on this service.
About the service
Berrington Court is a community based extra care facility that was providing personal care to 37 people at the time of the inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Staff had received training in safeguarding and knew how to keep people safe. Staff had been recruited safely and were trained and supported to provide the best possible care for people. Medication was administered safely and staff supported people following good infection control practices.
People were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet people's needs.
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 who were kind and caring and people’s equality and diversity needs were respected. People's support needs were assessed regularly and planned to ensure they received the support they needed.
The management team had good oversight of the service and audits were completed regularly. Surveys were completed to gather information about people’s views. Spot checks were carried out to ensure the quality of the service was maintained.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 06 September 2018).
Why we inspected
This was a planned pilot virtual inspection. The report was created as part of a pilot which looked at new and innovative ways of fulfilling CQC’s regulatory obligations and responding to risk in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was conducted with the consent of the provider. Unless the report says otherwise, we obtained the information in it without visiting the Provider.
The pilot inspection considered the key questions of safe and well-led and provide a rating for those key questions. Only parts of the effective, caring and responsive key questions were considered, and therefore the ratings for these key questions are those awarded at the last inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Berrington Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.
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 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.
People using the service lived in purpose-built flats on the outskirts of Kidderminster, which included an onsite restaurant, hairdressers and community rooms. The registered manager had an office on site and staff were in building 24 hours per day. There were 100 flats, however only 34 people were receiving the regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.
There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People told us that they felt safe in their home and staff knew how they kept people safe. People’s risks had been identified and plans showed the steps staff needed to take to ensure people were at low risk of harm or injury. People who had support with their medicines had them administered when needed, with staff who were trained and competent to do so. There were enough staff to ensure people received care at the expected time. People were protected from the risk of infection as staff practice followed good practice guidance.
Staff had received training to ensure their skills and knowledge reflected the needs of the people they cared for. Staff were supported with regular supervisions and the management team checked that staff were working as expected. People were supported with their meals and staff gave people a choice or provided the assistance needed to enjoy their meal. 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. People attended healthcare appointments as required and staff would help with telephone calls and reminders if needed.
People knew the staff well and were provided with a personalised service in their home. Care staff spent time chatting and getting to know people while providing care. People received care that met their needs and had been able to tell staff how they wanted their care on each call. Staff were considerate and supported people in maintaining their dignity.
People’s views and decisions about their care had been recorded and were changed when needed. People knew how to make a complaint and information was provided to people who used the service should they wish to raise a complaint.
People, their family members and staff felt the management team were accessible and could speak with them to provide feedback about the service. The management team had kept their knowledge up to date. The provider ensured regular checks were completed to monitor the quality of the care that people received and to action where improvements were needed.