16 January 2017
During a routine inspection
Aster Living – Link House is part of Aster Group and operates three extra care schemes for people across Dorset. Their office is in Poole. Extra care schemes enable people to be supported while living independently. The service provides care and support to people in their own homes and is 24 hour. The care is delivered by a team of staff working in a building where people live in their own flats. There are communal areas where people can meet and a communal dining area where people are provided with meals if they wish. There are also a variety of activities and groups which meet in the communal area. There is a dedicated staff team to provide personal care and support. At the time of the inspection the registered manager was responsible for three locations. We visited people in one location and spoke to people at another location.
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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The provider supported staff through training on how to safeguard the people who used the service from the potential risk of abuse. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in keeping people safe.
There were risk management assessments in place to enable people to lead their own life and maintain control. These risk assessments also protected staff and took account of the person’s environment.
There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet the needs of the people who used the service. Recruitment practice was robust and the provider was developing different strategies to ensure there was a steady stream of new staff with the right attitude and skills to support people effectively.
Where people required assistance to take their medicines, there were arrangements in place to provide this support safely. Staff had also received appropriate training.
The provider had a system of induction and on going training and supervision to support staff developing their knowledge and skills in providing care and support that met people’s changing needs.
Staff understood the importance of consent in supporting people day to day.
Where people required support to eat and drink there were plans in place to ensure people’s needs were met.
People were supported to maintain their health and wellbeing. Staff responded quickly when people needed health services.
People told us they had positive and trusting relationships with staff and management.
People told us that care was provided following consultation and that care staff respected their wishes and preferences.
People told us that care staff respected their homes and respected their privacy.
The flexibility of the service ensured that people were supported at the times they needed.
The provider actively listened to people’s experiences and took steps to improve quality based on their feedback.
The provider had a culture of openness and transparency where staff were encouraged to acknowledge both their successes and their errors and ensure they were part of developing a person focused service.
Management were visible in the service and approachable. People told us they knew who was responsible for the service and that they trusted they would make improvements when necessary.
Quality assurance systems were robust.