This inspection took place on 30 September 2015 and was announced. This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered in September 2014.
Housing & Care 21 – Springhill Court provides personal care and support to older people who live in their own accommodation. Some of the people who use the service are living with dementia. There are two aspects of the service. Some people who receive support live in apartments located on the site in Easingwold around an office and communal areas. This is called extra-care. Other people live out in the community in their own homes and care staff go out to visit them. The aim of the service is to support people to live independently. The service currently provides personal care to 18 people who receive extra-care and 20 people who live in the community.
A registered manager was 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 system for administering medicines required improvement to keep people safe from potential risks. We identified discrepancies in medicine administration for one person which had not been picked up by the service and which could have had a serious impact on the person’s well-being. The risks associated with medicine administration identified during our inspection meant that there was not proper and safe management of medicines. This was a breach of Regulation 12 HSCA 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.
People told us they felt safe at the service. Staff were confident about how to protect people from harm and what they would do if they had any safeguarding concerns. Risks to people had been assessed and plans put in place to keep risks to a minimum. People had portable alarms which they could use in the event of a problem or emergency.
There were enough staff on duty to make sure people’s needs were met. The provider had robust recruitment procedures to make sure staff had the required skills and were of suitable character and background.
Staff told us they liked working at the service and that there was good team work. Staff were supported through training, regular supervisions and team meetings to help them carry out their roles effectively. Staff were supported by an open and accessible management team.
The manager and staff were aware of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). DoLS are put in place to protect people where their freedom of movement is restricted. There were no DoLS restrictions at the time of our inspection.
There was a relaxed and friendly atmosphere in the service. People told us that staff were caring and that their privacy and dignity were respected. Care plans were person centred and showed that individual preferences were taken into account. Care plans gave clear directions to staff about the support people required to have their needs met. People were supported to maintain their health and to access health services if needed.
People’s needs were regularly reviewed and appropriate changes were made to the support people received. People had opportunities to make comments about the service and how it could be improved.
There were effective management arrangements in place. The registered manager had a good oversight of the service and was aware of areas of practice that needed to be improved. There were systems in place to look at the quality of the service provided and action was taken where shortfalls were identified.