Laburnum Grove is a housing with care service that provides personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, 25 people were receiving support with their care.

At the last inspection, the service was rated as ‘Good.’ At this inspection, we found the service remained Good.

There was a registered manager working at the service. 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.

Why the service is rated Good…

The care that people received was delivered safely. The provider had systems in place to ensure the staff they employed were of good character and had received enough training and supervision, to enable them to provide people with effective care. People received their medicines when they needed them. Staff knew how to reduce the risk of people experiencing abuse and avoidable harm.

People had been consulted about what care and support they wanted to receive. People were supported to have choice and control in their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. People’s consent had been sought in line with the relevant legislation and their care needs and preferences had been thoroughly assessed and planned. There were enough staff available to deliver care in a way that met these needs.

Where people required support to eat and drink or to maintain their health, the staff provided this. The provider encouraged people to raise concerns or give them ideas for how they could improve the quality of care people received. Any concerns or feedback raised were listened to and investigated. The provider learnt from people’s concerns and feedback and action was taken to improve the care people had experienced.

The staff were kind, caring and polite. They treated people with respect, protected people’s privacy and dignity and encouraged them to be independent.

The leadership at the service was good. The manager’s had instilled a culture of ‘teamwork’ and ‘working together’ which made the staff feel happy in their work and valued. Staff understood their individual roles and were managed by a supportive management team who always had their door open to them if they wished to discuss anything.

The provider had effective quality assurance systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality of care people received. Where shortfalls had been identified, action had been taken to enhance the service people experienced.

Laburnum Grove Housing with Care Scheme is a domiciliary care agency that operates within an extra care housing scheme. It provides domiciliary care and support for people living in their own accommodation within the housing scheme.

The inspection took place on 9 January 2015 and was unannounced.

The service had a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. 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.

We received many positive comments about this service from people living there, their relatives and health care professionals. People told us they were happy at the service and that staff treated them with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff knew people well and met their needs in a patient and caring way. People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed and were protected by the service’s safeguarding systems.

People were cared for by staff who had received a good level of training, supervision and support and had been recruited safely. Staff morale was good and they expressed high levels of satisfaction with their job.

People’s needs were met and they were supported to take part in a wide range of meaningful activities and development opportunities, both at the service and in the local community. Risks to people’s welfare were identified and managed well.

There was effective management in place which ensured the delivery of person-centred care; supported staff learning and development and promoted an open culture. People were encouraged to have their say about how the quality of services could be improved and were positive about the leadership provided by the manager. A system of audits, surveys and reviews was also used to good effect in monitoring the service’s performance.

We spoke with people who lived in the scheme and their visitors who told us that staff consulted them and respected and acted on the decisions they made about the care and support they agreed to.

Our observations showed us that staff members were responsive to the needs of people and that they were given the support and attention they needed. We saw that people had a positive experience of being included in conversations and decision making.

We found that plans of care contained the information staff members needed to ensure that the health and safety of people was promoted and protected.

People spoken with and their visitors told us that people were provided with the care and support they needed and that the staff were excellent and very kind.

Medication was administered, recorded and stored accurately and safely.

Staff members were well led, trained and supported to provide an appropriate standard of care and support through effective management, supervision and staff team meetings.

Quality audits were being carried out to ensure the views of people were gathered on the quality of the service provided, that people were safe and that policies and procedures were being followed.

We spoke with people who used the service who told us that staff consulted them and respected and acted on the decisions they made about the care and support they agreed to.

Our observations showed us that people were given the support and attention they needed and had a positive experience of being included in conversations and decision making about everything that affected them.

The plans of care contained the information staff members needed to ensure that the health and safety of people was promoted.

Staffing levels had been increased and there were adequate numbers of staff provided to meet the needs of each person using the service.

People had their comments and complaints listened to and acted on, without fear that they would be discriminated against for making a complaint.

During our visit, we spoke with several people who live in their flats on site.

They were very happy with the accommodation they live in. We asked people about the support they received and they confirmed that care workers were very good, responsive and respectful. People felt that staff worked very hard, but could not always come straight away, as they had to spend more time with people who needed more care. Generally people felt that the staffing levels could be better, as one person stated: “One more staff on duty would be better, as they struggle to get to anyone who needs them. “Several people stated that they had to wait if they call staff, or that staff could not always come when they were expected.

People told us that they felt safe and protected. One person was surprised when we knocked on their door and told us that, “Staff always let me know if someone is coming to see me.”

One person said, “You could not wish for anything better. They (staff) respond straight away when we call them.” The person explained that some people needed more and more care and that this was the reason that staff could not always respond straight away if called.

Two people became very close since they lived in this scheme and proudly showed us the next flat where they would be moving in together in the very near future.