Background to this inspection
Updated
11 May 2021
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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
Two inspectors carried out the inspection.
Service and service type
This service provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is rented and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
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. We also wanted to ensure people were aware of our inspection and had the opportunity to speak with us.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with two people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 5 members of staff including the provider, registered manager, home manager, care workers and the chef.
We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. 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 received feedback from one health professional. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.
Updated
11 May 2021
About the service
The Old School House is an extra care service for older people. People lived in 11 studio style flats, with their own tenancy, in one building. There are staff available between 7.30 am to 7pm daily. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection 11 people were living at Old School House, two people were receiving care regulated by CQC.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Systems and processes to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided were in place. However, the providers quality monitoring practice did not always identify shortfalls in recording guidance for staff in care plans. We recommend that the provider review their auditing systems and practice in line with current guidance.
We found that the provider was not always following their own policy when recruiting staff. We recommended the provider review their policy and practice in line with current guidance.
People received safe care and support by enough numbers of staff who had been trained to recognise signs of abuse or risk and understood what to do to safely support people. People were supported to take positive risks, to ensure they had as much choice and control of their lives as possible. We saw that people were supported to be as independent as possible with their personal care and mobility.
Medicines were given safely to people by trained and knowledgeable staff, who had been assessed as competent. All new staff completed an induction programme where they got to know people and their needs well. Referrals and advice were sought from relevant health care professionals to ensure people remained as healthy as possible. Everyone we spoke to was consistent in their views that staff were kind, caring and supportive.
People were relaxed, comfortable and happy in the company of staff. People's independence was considered important by all staff and their privacy and dignity was promoted. Staff were committed to delivering care in a person-centred way based on people's preferences and wishes.
There was a stable staff team who were knowledgeable about the people they supported and had built trusting and meaningful relationships with them. People were encouraged to go out and form relationships with family and members of the community.
People, their relatives and health care professionals had the opportunity to share their views about the service. People, their relatives and members of staff were actively engaged in developing the service. The registered manager and the staff team worked in partnership with other agencies to support the development of joined-up care.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 4 July 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned first inspection following registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.