We undertook an announced inspection of OSJCT Centurion House on 1 November 2018.

Centurion House offers domiciliary care and twenty four hour emergency cover for up to twenty people in self-contained flats. The accommodation is either rented or shared ownership and is contained in a new building, located in Bicester Oxfordshire. The service has been in operation at this location since June 2012 and is part of the Order of St John Care Trust. On the day of our inspection six people were receiving a personal care service.

There was a not 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. However, we saw evidence that the post of registered manager had been recruited to.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated good:

The service continued to provide safe care to people. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and understood their responsibilities to identify and report any concerns. The provider had safe recruitment and selection processes in place, these included completing checks to make sure new staff were safe to work with vulnerable adults.

Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed. People's care plans contained risk assessments which included risks associated with people’s care. There

were sufficient staff deployed to meet people's needs.

People continued to receive effective care from staff who had the skills and knowledge to support them. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the procedures in the service supported this practice. People were supported to maintain good health.

The service continued to provide support in a caring way. People benefited from caring relationships with staff who treated them with dignity and respect. People were involved in their care and supported to remain independent.

The service continued to be responsive. People received personalised care by staff who understood people's individual needs and preferences. People's changing needs were responded to appropriately.

The service continued to be well led by a manager and care provider who were open, honest and transparent. The manager continually monitored the quality of the service.

We undertook an announced inspection of OSJCT Centurion House on 3 March 2016.

Centurion House offers domiciliary care and twenty four hour emergency cover for up to twenty people in self-contained flats. The accommodation is either rented or shared ownership and is contained in a new building, located in Bicester Oxfordshire. The service has been in operation at this location since June 2012 and is part of the Order of St John Care Trust. On the day of our inspection 12 people were receiving a personal care 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.

We were greeted warmly by staff at the service who seemed genuinely pleased to see us. Throughout the day we saw visitors to the service being greeted by staff in the same welcoming fashion. The atmosphere was open and friendly.

People told us they benefitted from caring relationships with the staff. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and people received their care when they expected. The service had safe, robust recruitment processes.

People were safe. Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. Staff had received regular training to make sure they stayed up to date with recognising and reporting safety concerns. The service had systems in place to notify the appropriate authorities where concerns were identified.

Where risks to people had been identified risk assessments were in place and action had been taken to reduce the risks. Staff were aware of people’s needs and followed guidance to keep them safe. People received their medicine as prescribed.

Staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and applied its principles in their work. The MCA protects the rights of people who may not be able to make particular decisions themselves. The registered manager was knowledgeable about the MCA and how to ensure the rights of people who lacked capacity were protected.

People told us they were confident they would be listened to and action would be taken if they raised a concern. We saw complaints were dealt with in a compassionate and timely fashion. The service had systems to assess the quality of the service provided. Learning was identified and action taken to make improvements which improved people’s safety and quality of life. Systems were in place that ensured people were protected against the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care.

Staff spoke positively about the support they received from the registered manager. Staff supervision and meetings were scheduled as were annual appraisals. Staff told us the registered manager was approachable and there was a good level of communication within the service.

People told us the service was friendly, responsive and well managed. People knew the registered manager and staff and spoke positively about them. The service sought people’s views and opinions and acted upon them.

On the day of our visit there were 18 people using the service supported by three care workers and the manager. We spoke with four people and one relative. Everyone spoke very highly about the service. One person said "I am delighted, absolutely delighted. The staff are very friendly and I can trust them. They are more like friends or relatives". Another said "They don't intrude or interfere with my privacy at all. They are all very respectful".

We considered our inspection findings to answer questions we always ask;

Is the service safe?

Is the service effective?

Is the service caring?

Is the service responsive?

Is the service well-led?

This is a summary of what we found-

Is the service safe?

People were cared for safely. Care workers were trained for their role, including protecting vulnerable adults, and they treated people with dignity and respect. A member of the management team was on call to deal with any emergencies. Risk assessments were regularly reviewed and managed appropriately and people's needs were assessed and reflected in the care plans.

Is the service effective?

People told us that they were happy with the care that had been delivered and their needs had been met. It was clear from our observations and from speaking with staff that they had a good understanding of the people’s care and support needs and that they knew them well. One person said "I am happy here, it's nice". Care workers were supported to deliver care by regular training, supervision and appraisals.

Is the service caring?

People were supported by kind and attentive staff. We saw that care workers showed patience and gave encouragement when supporting people. People told us they were involved in their care and they were offered choices about that care. One person said "I am offered choices in what I want doing. It is my decision. The relative we spoke with said "there is a very stable team here who put people first".

Is the service responsive?

People’s needs had been assessed before they received care. Care plans reflected people's needs and care was delivered with those needs in mind. People's religious and spiritual preferences were respected and we saw that people were involved in decisions made about their care and treatment.

Is the service well-led?

People's opinions were regularly sought and complaints were dealt with appropriately. Accidents and incidents were investigated and regular audits of services were conducted. Actions from these audits were recorded and acted upon. Care workers were clear about their roles and responsibilities and care worker files contained a clear job description. All the care workers we spoke with were confident in their role and told us they felt supported and listened to by management.

Centurion House provides domiciliary care and twenty four hour emergency cover in rented/shared ownership accommodation for up to twenty people in a secure location.

People we spoke with said they were happy with the care they received. One said, "This is a dream come true for me, I am very happy here". Another person said, "We are happy living here and the care is very good." They also told us they felt safe and could trust the staff. One said, "They are very friendly, I'm safe and I trust them completely".

We found that the staff were well trained and experienced and enjoyed working at Centurion House. We also found that people were well cared for and that they were encouraged to be as independent as possible. People were involved in their planning of their care and how it was administered.