About the service:

• Harriet Court is a Housing with Care scheme with 40 flats. Personal care and support is provided to tenants who live in their own flats under a tenancy agreement with a housing association.

• At the time of inspection, 37 people were receiving personal care and support at Harriet Court.

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

People’s experience of using this service:

• People received person-centred care from a team of caring and dedicated staff

• Staff took time to get to know people and responded well to their care needs. Where possible, people’s preferences were met and they were encouraged to maintain their independence.

• Staff managed potential risks to people’s safety well.

• Staff were recruited and trained effectively to ensure people’s health and wellbeing was promoted.

• The service was well led and the manager created a very positive culture.

• People and relatives praised the staff who they said were friendly, attentive and supportive.

• People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

• We have made a recommendation to ensure full compliance with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Rating at last inspection:

• At the last inspection the service was rated Good. The report for this inspection was published on 14 September 2016.

Why we inspected:

• This was a planned inspection to check that this service remained Good.

Follow up:

• Going forward we will continue to monitor this service and plan to inspect in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated Good.

This was an unannounced inspection that took place on 16 and 17 August 2016.

Harriet Court is an extra care housing service which provides personal care and support to people who had their own tenancies on the site. At the time of the inspection, 37 people were receiving care.

There was a registered manager at the service, who had been in post since May 2016. 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 enough staff to give people time for their care, and to ensure they were safely supported. People were safely supported with regards to their mobility, health conditions and medicines.

People were supported by staff who were compassionate towards them, and who knew them well. Staff promoted people’s independence and provided opportunities for people to maintain this. They responded to any changes in their needs promptly, and kept people and their families involved in their care. Staff sought consent from people before delivering care.

Staff encouraged people to eat and drink enough, and supported them in preparing meals when they needed. Staff ensured that people had access to other health services when they needed.

The organisation provided training to staff to enable them to be competent in their roles, and they felt that they were well-supported. There was a culture of teamwork, and morale was good within the staff team.

The registered manager demonstrated good leadership and was committed to improving the service. There were systems in place to monitor and improve the service.

We spoke with over a fifth of the people using the service. They told us that staff respected their privacy, were always polite and kind. Where there had been issues, these had been addressed and resolved. "It was all sorted out when we sat down and updated my care plan." This showed that people expressed their views and were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. It also supported that the service was caring and responsive to people's needs.

People told us that staff followed their plans of care, which they kept in their own flats. One person said that staff were very good at '...keeping an eye out...' in case they were unwell. Another person said, "They always ask how I am and check that I'm OK." A third person told us how they felt their health had improved since they had started using the service. They said, "I couldn't be happier. I think I'm more well and better than I have been for the last five years." This showed that the care people received was effective in promoting their health and welfare.

The Care Quality Commission does not regulate the standards of the premises within people's private accommodation. However, there were systems in place for ensuring the safety of communal areas and office space. Shortfalls were addressed to ensure this was maintained so that the provider delivered services from safe and properly maintained premises.

There was a robust process for recruiting staff. This included proper checks to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people. This helped show the service people received was safe.

We found that there were robust systems for reviewing the quality of the service that people received. This provided for consultation with people using the service, staff and relatives. Action plans were developed in response to any identified shortfalls. We also noted that there was an open approach to responding to complaints so that people could be sure any concerns they had would be addressed. This supported that the service was well led.

People told us that they were happy with the way that staff supported them. One person commented on an historic situation about staff attitude but said that this had been " ... sorted out." People spoken with all agreed that the staff respected them and did not enter their flats unannounced or without knocking. One person told us that staff were all "... very good". Another said, "My keyworker is excellent."

People told us that they felt safe using the service. They all agreed that they could speak with the manager if they had any concerns and knew how to make a complaint if they needed to. One person described the manager as, "... very approachable." They told us that they could also raise concerns or make suggestions at a 'tenants forum', which took place regularly.

We found that people's care and welfare needs were met by staff who understood how to do this safely. There were systems in place to help prevent any abuse and to report any concerns. The manager had been in post since July but had succeeded in building up a good rapport with people using the service and identifying where further improvements in the service could be made.

During our visit we spoke with a number of people who use this service. Most of the people gave positive answers to how they felt they were involved and respected. We were told that staff always knocked on their flat door and would not enter until invited to do so. We were also told that staff spoke to them in a courteous manner and only assisted them with tasks they could not do themselves.

One person we spoke with told us how they were more able to manage their own lifestyle now as they had been supported to become more independent. We were told how they knew exactly what care is provided by staff and what they were expected to manage themselves.

Another person told us how they liked to be private and that staff respected this and did not intrude.

The people we spoke with told us the care provided is good.

They told us about the good support from the local health centre.

We were also told about the prompt service arranged by the home that brings the medication from Boots every four weeks.

A number of people told us this move was the best they had made. We were told how one person’s health had improved and another person told us how they can now get out and about since moving to their flat.

People we spoke with told us how safe they felt living in this type of accommodation.

They also told us that they would talk to the manager if they had any concerns that may be seen as abusive. “She will listen.”

We received nothing but positive comments from the people who use this service. Although these people were tenants and many of the comments were around the nice flats, good maintenance and nice and clean, the care element was also praised highly.