16 March 2017
During a routine inspection
Sanctuary Care delivers care and support to people living at Dreywood Court. Dreywood Court is an extra care housing scheme comprising of 98 apartments for people over 55 living in the London borough of Havering. On the day of our visit 58 people were receiving personal care support equating to approximately 800 hours per week.
On the day of our visit a registered manager was in place and on site three days a week as they supported another nearby extra care site. 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.
People told us they felt safe within the service. They were treated with dignity and respect by staff who understood their needs.
Staff had attended safeguarding training and were able to explain the steps they would take to protect people from avoidable harm.
There were risk assessments in place which were used by staff to minimise the risks identified.
Medicines were managed safely by staff that had undergone the necessary training.
Staff were aware of the procedures to take in an emergency. We reviewed incidents and accidents and found appropriate action had been taken. Where patterns had been identified meetings were being held in order to ensure people received appropriate staff.
There were robust recruitment systems in place. Recruitment was an on-going process so as to ensure there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Staffing rotas we saw reflected the staffing ratios staff told us. There were no missed visits recorded. However, visits were sometimes late when staffing was short due to last minute absences.
Before people started to use the service an assessment took place and care plans developed. Care plans included people's social, emotional and physical needs. They were reviewed every six months or as and when people's conditions changed.
People were supported to participate in activities that suited their preferences. They were encouraged to come out to eat in the cafeteria at lunch if they wished.
People were able to complain about issues and felt that they were listened to. The complaints procedure was followed in order to ensure all complaints were investigated and responded to in a timely manner.
People and staff thought the management were supportive and available when needed. Staff had access to relevant training and were supported by regular supervision, annual appraisals and monthly staff meetings.
People were supported to maintain a balanced diet where it was part of their support plan to do so.
There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of care delivered. This included satisfaction surveys, documentation audits and meetings.