Archived: Housing 21 - Badminton Gardens

Each person we spoke with told us that Badminton Gardens was a nice place to live. They told us the staff were kind and treated them with dignity and respect.

People were empowered to make their own choices about how they liked to be cared for. Independence was promoted and staff actively ensured people maintained links with their friends and family.

Staff delivered person centred care to people and had a good awareness of people's preferences, likes and dislikes. People were observed to have good relationships with the staff. Activities were provided to people if they wished to participate.

People had access to a range of health care professionals. People were encouraged to contact health care professionals themselves where possible. If staff were concerned about a person’s wellbeing they appropriately reported concerns without delay.

People told us they felt safe. Staff were trained in how to protect people from abuse and harm. They knew how to recognise signs of abuse and how to report any concerns. Risks to people's wellbeing were assessed and action taken to reduce these.

People were provided with safe care by adequate numbers of appropriately skilled staff.. Staff recruitment procedures were safe and the employment files contained all the relevant information to help ensure only suitable people were employed to work at the service.

Staff received regular supervision to discuss their progress and training needs. Spot checks were completed by senior staff to monitor staff performance and ensure people were receiving support in line with their needs and expectations.

Staff understood the importance of gaining consent from people and acted in accordance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff had a good understanding of people's needs and supported them effectively.

People received a service that was well led because the registered manager provided good leadership and management. The registered manager had an effective system in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the service that people received. Quality assurance systems involved people who used the service.

More information in Detailed Findings below.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 25 October 2016).

About the service: Badminton Gardens is an extra care housing scheme for older people, comprising of 63 flats with some communal areas. People who lived at the service had a separate care and tenancy agreement. At the time of our inspection the service supported 34 people with personal care. Some people who lived at the service received care and support from another provider. Other people required social and domestic visits or welfare calls only.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service remained rated Good overall.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until the next inspection. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

Housing & Care 21 – Badminton Gardens provides an 'extra care' service to people living in their own flats. There were 63 flats. Extra care housing supports people to live as independently as possible, with the reassurance of onsite care support when needed. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 28 people with personal care. Not everyone living at Badminton Gardens required assistance with personal care, some had support with domestic duties such as cleaning and shopping. This did not fall within the scope of registration with the Care Quality Commission.

The building was owned by a social landlord and the care and support was provided by Housing & Care 21.The accommodation did not fall within the scope of registration with the Care Quality Commission.

The service had a manager who had been in post since the end of July 2016. They had submitted an application to be registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding and knew what to do if they were concerned about the welfare of people or an allegation of abuse had been made. Any safeguarding concerns were investigated with the outcomes fed back and practices changed if necessary in order to prevent reoccurrences. People had risk assessments to keep them safe whilst receiving personal care. This included environmental risk assessments. People told us they felt safe whilst being supported by staff.

Medicines were managed safely with people receiving their medicines appropriately. All records were complete and up to date with regular medicine audits being carried out. Where errors had taken place, appropriate action had been taken to protect people, including additional training and observations of staff practice.

Staff were recruited in a safe and consistent manner. There was sufficient staff to meet people’s individual needs. People told us staff turned up on time and stayed for the full duration of the visit.

People told us they would like to know the name of the staff in advance. The manager was going to explore how this could be done with the provider.

People had access to a range of health professionals when required. Some people looked after their own health care appointments. People’s nutritional needs were being met and where there were risks additional monitoring was in place which included liaising with the person’s GP and family.

People had their needs assessed and clear plans of care were in place about how the person wanted to be supported. Care plans were personalised and up to date. These had been kept under review. People were very much involved in their care. There was an emphasis on encouraging people to be independent as possible enabling them to live independently in their own flats.

Staff were caring and supportive and demonstrated a good understanding of their roles in supporting people. Staff received training and support that was relevant to their roles and the people they supported. Systems were in place to ensure open communication including team meetings and one to one meetings with their manager. Staff were committed to providing a service that was tailored to each person they supported. People were complimentary about the staff.

People told us they knew how to make a complaint and would feel comfortable in doing so. They confirmed they had no complaints about the care they received.

People were provided with a safe, effective, caring and responsive service that was well led. The registered provider was aware of the importance of reviewing the quality of the service and was aware of the improvements that were needed to enhance the service. This included seeking the views of the people they supported.

People we spoke with told us 'Staff are wonderful and hardworking' and 'I have not experienced missed calls or problems' and 'There seems to be plenty of staff around in the building'.

People who used the service, their representatives and staff were asked for their views about their care and treatment and they were acted on. We saw evidence that the provider monitored the quality of the service provided. People had given positive comments about Badminton Gardens. Results were good in the surveys completed in May 2013. One person said, 'Every care staff member treats me with respect and are professional' and "I received such good support when I came out of hospital'.

People had their comments and complaints listened to and acted on, without the fear that they would be discriminated against for making a complaint. People told us "I would speak to the staff for advice if I was unhappy' and 'I would feel listened to if I needed to make a complaint'.