Southcroft

Updated 23 December 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.

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated good and outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

Inspection team

This inspection was completed by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. 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 specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought or rented and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.

There was a care manager in post at the service. They had been in post for a month and had started the process of registering with CQC to become a registered manager. When registered the manager and 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 the provider or care manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 29 November 2021 and ended on 30 November 2021. We visited the service on the 30 November 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people and three relatives by telephone about their experience of the support provided. We spoke with the care manager, a senior support worker, a support worker and maintenance person at the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care and medicine records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and training. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 23 December 2021

About the service

Southcroft is a specialist ‘extra care’ housing scheme. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. Southcroft comprises 37 one-bedroom apartments, seven of which are for couples. Southcroft was built within the grounds of Psalter Lane Methodist Church. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care to 10 people living at the scheme.

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

People were happy with the care they received, and they told us they felt safe when receiving care from the service. Relatives agreed their family members were safe. People’s care visits took place at consistent times, to suit their preferences. There were systems in place to ensure people’s medicines were managed safely and people were protected from the risk of infection. Staff knew how to safeguard people from the risk of abuse and other identified risks to people were assessed and mitigated.

Before people started receiving care from the service, their needs and preferences were assessed, to ensure the service could provide the level of care each person wanted. 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.

People were supported to receive adequate food and drink to remain healthy. People chose what they wanted to eat and drink. Staff received regular training, supervision and appraisal so they were skilled and competent to carry out their role.

People were treated with respect. Care plans recorded how people were involved in their care. Their views and wishes were at the centre of their support. Care plans provided detailed direction to enable staff to deliver care which respected people's privacy and dignity. Daily notes recorded how staff encouraged people's independence.

Staff were proactive in engaging people with individual activities of their preferred choice. People told us they were able to join in activities provided in Southcroft if they wished. People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs. People told us the service was flexible and their preferences were adhered to. Systems were in place to deal promptly and appropriately with any complaints or concerns.

The manager and provider regularly sought feedback from people and relatives to ensure the service was tailored to their needs and preferences. There were systems in place to monitor the quality and the safety of the service provided.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 28 October 2020).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection. We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated good and outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

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.