Say when the inspection took place and whether the inspection was announced or unannounced. Where relevant, describe any breaches of legal requirements at your last inspection, and if so whether improvements have been made to meet the relevant requirement(s).

Provide a brief overview of the service (e.g. Type of care provided, size, facilities, number of people using it, whether there is or should be a registered manager etc).

N.B. If there is or should be a registered manager include this statement to describe what a registered manager is:

‘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.’

Give a summary of your findings for the service, highlighting what the service does well and drawing attention to areas where improvements could be made. Where a breach of regulation has been identified, summarise, in plain English, how the provider was not meeting the requirements of the law and state ‘You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.’ Please note that the summary section will be used to populate the CQC website. Providers will be asked to share this section with the people who use their service and the staff that work at there.

Alexandra Court is a purpose built extra care complex of 14 flats which may be privately owned or rented. Personal care is provided to people in their own homes via private funding and as requested by people on a day to day basis.

This was an announced inspection and was completed on 30 March 2015. The service was given 24 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service. When we inspected there were 11 people who lived at the service.

There was a registered manager 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.

There were systems in place which provided guidance for staff on how to safeguard the people who used the service from the potential risk of abuse. Staff understood the various types of abuse and knew who to report any concerns to.

There were procedures and processes in place to ensure the safety of the people who used the service. These included risk assessments which identified how the risks to people were minimised.

Staff had received appropriate training which enabled them to deliver care and support to people who used the service safely and to an appropriate standard. Formal arrangements were in place to ensure that newly employed staff received a comprehensive induction.

Where people required assistance to take their medicines there were arrangements in place to provide this support safely.

There were sufficient numbers of staff who were well trained and supported to meet the needs of the people who used the service.

Care workers had good relationships with people who used the service. People were treated with kindness and consideration by staff. Staff demonstrated a good knowledge and understanding of the people they cared for and supported and personal care and support was provided in a way which maintained their privacy and dignity.

Where people required assistance with their dietary needs there were systems in place to provide this support safely.

People’s healthcare needs were recorded and there were instructions recorded for staff about how to meet these. People’s care plans reflected current information to guide staff on the most appropriate care people required to meet their needs and appropriate referrals were made when required to health and social care professionals. Where staff had identified concerns in people’s wellbeing there were systems in place to contact health and social care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment.

People or their representatives, where appropriate, were involved in making decisions about their care and support. People’s care plans had been tailored to the individual and contained information about how they communicated and their ability to make decisions. The CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and to report on what we find. Information relating to people’s ability to consent to their care and support was recorded within their care plan and where appropriate included the involvement of their relative or those acting on their behalf.

There were systems in place to deal with people’s comments and complaints and these showed how actions, decisions and outcomes of concerns raised had been addressed.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to the people who used the service. The provider and registered manager had an effective quality monitoring and assurance system in place which ensured that the service performed safely and to an appropriate standard so as to drive improvement.

The people who lived at Alexandra Court were very happy with their care and support. They spoke highly of the staff and said they were kind and caring, friendly, courteous and respectful. People felt involved in their care arrangements and knew who to call if they needed to speak to someone. They felt safe with the staff and had no complaints about the service.

Staff told us that Alexandra Court was a nice place to work for. The management were flexible and approachable and we saw that good opportunities for training were provided.

At the time of our inspection on 14 October 2013, we saw that monitoring systems for involving and caring for people and managing the service were in place.

We noted that there were processes in place for the reporting of safeguarding incidents

and that these procedures were followed.

Effective staff support systems including supervision and annual appraisals were in place.