OSJCT Skirbeck Court is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for 39 older people and people who live with dementia.

The service was run by a charitable body that was the registered provider. 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. In this report when we speak about both the charitable body and the registered manager we refer to them as being, ‘the registered persons’.

At the last inspection the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

This inspection was unannounced and was carried out on 7 February 2017.

Staff knew how to keep people safe from the risk of abuse and they helped to prevent avoidable accidents. People received the medicines they had been prescribed and registered persons were taking action to ensure that medicines were consistently stored in the right way. There were enough staff on duty to provide people with the care they needed and background checks had been completed before new staff had been appointed.

Staff knew how to support people in the right way. People enjoyed their meals and they had been helped to eat and drink enough. People had been helped to obtain all of the healthcare assistance they needed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were treated with compassion and respect. Staff recognised people’s right to privacy and promoted their dignity. Confidential information was kept private.

People had been given all of the care they needed and wanted to receive. They had been supported to pursue their hobbies and interests. There was a system for quickly and fairly resolving complaints.

People had been consulted about the development of their home. Quality checks had been regularly completed to ensure that people received safe care. Staff were supported to speak out if they had any concerns and good team work was promoted. People had benefited from staff acting upon good practice guidance.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

OSJCT Skirbeck Court provides accommodation for up to 39 older people who need support with their personal care. Some of the people live with dementia and need additional support to be involved in making decisions about the care they receive. The accommodation is purpose built and is all on the ground floor.

There were 37 people living in the service at the time of our inspection.

This was an unannounced inspection carried out on 08 December 2014. During the inspection we spoke with 12 people who lived in the service, seven staff, the area operations manager and the manager of the service. The manager had recently taken up their post and they had already applied to be registered with us. 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.

The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how a provider applies the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way. This is usually to protect themselves or others. At the time of our inspection no people had had their freedom restricted.

We last inspected the service in December 2013. At that inspection we found the service was meeting all the essential standards that we assessed.

People were helped to stay safe. Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns and how to keep people safe from harm. Staff had helped people to avoid having accidents. There were reliable systems for managing medicines.

People felt safe in the service and that they received all of the care they needed. They had received a wide range of personal care such as help with washing and dressing, using the bathroom and moving about safely.

People had been included in planning and agreeing to the care provided. They had an individual care plan that described the assistance they needed and how they wanted this to be provided.

Staff knew the people they were supporting and the choices they had made about their care and their lives. People were supported to maintain their independence and to exercise control over their lives.

People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. Staff took time to speak with the people they were supporting. People enjoyed talking to staff and were relaxed in their company.

Staff knew how to support people who lived with dementia.

People were provided with a range of meals that they enjoyed.

People were offered the opportunity to pursue their interests and hobbies.

The provider had completed quality checks to make sure that people reliably received the care they needed in a safe setting.

We spoke with 10 people who used the service about their experiences of the service they were provided with. They told us that they were happy living in the service. One person said, “I get everything I need.” Another person said, “They look after us very well.” Another said, “You won't find much wrong here, I am quite happy.”

We looked at the care records of four people who used the service and found that people experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. We found that the service worked with other professionals involved in people's care to ensure that they were provided with a consistent service. People's concerns and comments were listened to and acted upon.

We saw the personnel records of three staff members which showed that they were trained to meet the needs of the people who used the service. Appropriate checks were made on staff before they worked in the service to ensure that they were able to work with vulnerable people.

We found that people were provided with a clean and hygienic environment to live in.

As part of our inspection we spoke with several people who use the service and their relatives, and a selection of staff members.

People spoke positively about the care and support they received. They felt safe at all times. They told us they were valued and had a voice and found all the staff approachable. They told us that their rooms were clean and comfortable and they could lock their bedroom doors to maintain their privacy.

People told us that they were free to do as they pleased, that they could have their breakfast when they wanted. They told us there was always plenty of things to do and staff supported them to make choices.

We saw people taking part in a group activity. They were discussing news items from the local paper. Other people were sat in small friendship groups or reading magazines.