Montague Court

Updated 14 April 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

One inspector carried out this inspection onsite and an Expert by Experience made telephone calls. 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 a ‘supported living’ setting, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 09 March 2022 and ended on 10 March 2022. We visited the location’s office/service on 09 March 2022.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three members of staff including the registered manager and care workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care records and medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff support. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, quality assurance records and policies and procedures.

Updated 14 April 2022

About the service

Montague Court is a mental health supported living complex providing personal care to up to 20 people living in their own individual flats based across two buildings. The service provides support to men aged between 18 and 65. At the time of our inspection there were 19 people using the service. Of these three were receiving support with personal care. Montague Court is made up of two buildings on the same site. Each building has 10 individual flats and people are tenants of a housing association. There are no communal areas for people. Staff have an office and staff room in one building.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Staff understood the needs of people well and how to keep them safe. Risks relating to individuals had been assessed and well managed. Medicines were administered safely with people supported to do this independently where appropriate. Staffing levels were good, and the service did not use agency staff. Staff wore appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in line with government guidance.

The registered manager ensured staff were suitably recruited, trained and supported so they could do their roles well. People were supported to be fully independent where appropriate and to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Policies and systems were in place to ensure people received support in the least restrictive way possible.

Staff provided care which was person-centred and encouraged people to live independently in their own flats.

Staff ensured the support provided was responsive to people’s individual needs. Care plans were developed in partnership with people to ensure they followed people’s preferences, religious and cultural beliefs and values. Staff respected people’s preferred ways of communicating and referred to people by their chosen names.

The registered manager had systems and processes to learn from incidents and events which affected the service. They had contingency plans which covered emergencies such as staff sickness. Staff felt well supported and spoke highly of the registered manager. There were processes to monitor the quality of care provided.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service at the previous premises was good (published 06 December 2016). It was reregistered at its current premises on 21 January 2021.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.