About the service: ExtraCare Charitable Trust Yates Court is an extra care housing service. It is registered to provide support to older people living in their own homes. The service consisted of 95 self-contained apartments within one communal building. At the time of our inspection 32 people were receiving support with personal care.

People’s experience of using this service: People were part of a very vibrant community with opportunity to engage in an exceptionally wide range of meaningful activities. Staff had taken time to learn about people and their life history. People were encouraged to use their life experience to lead peer groups in a variety of activities which reflected their interests and skills. This had impacted positively on their own wellbeing and that of the people joining in the group activities. Additional specialist staff delivered personalised care that ensured the best possible outcomes for people’s physical and mental wellbeing. Day to day care was planned and delivered in a way that fully reflected people’s preferences, likes and dislikes. People were involved in all aspects of their care including writing and reviewing their care plans. Clear complaints procedures were in place; all concerns were fully investigated in line with this. The registered manager was very open and transparent in the way complaints were addressed ensuring people were aware of the actions taken.

Staff safeguarded people from abuse. Risks to people were assessed and action taken to address them. The provider ensured suitable staff were employed by undertaking appropriate checks. There were sufficient staff to ensure there were no late or missed calls. People received support to take their medicines safely.

Staff felt they had a good level of support from the management team. Staff had regular training to ensure they had the right skills for their job. People received the support they needed to eat and drink enough to stay healthy. Staff ensured people could access healthcare services and the provider employed a wellbeing nurse to provide people with day to day support on site. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were happy with the support they received from staff. People were treated with dignity and respect and were encouraged to maintain their independence as much as possible.

The registered manager and senior staff carried out regular checks to ensure the quality of the service. If any issues were identified, actions were taken to ensure improvements were made and lessons learned. Staff spoke positively about the management and leadership team. Systems were in place to ensure the voices of people, relatives and staff were heard and we saw evidence of this in action.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: The rating at the last inspection was good. (Report published 13 May 2016.)

Why we inspected: This inspection was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit in line with our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

The inspection was announced and took place on 30 March 2016.

ExtraCare Charitable Trust - Yates Court is registered with us to provide personal care and support for people who live in their own flats within the premises at Yates Court. At the time of our inspection 47 people received care and support from this service. The levels of support people received from the provider varied, according to their assessed needs and levels of independence.

A registered manager was 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.

People said they felt safe at Yates Court and received support from staff who were kind, caring and respectful towards them. Staff understood how to protect people from abuse and received regular training around how to keep people safe.

People told us the staff and management were approachable and if they had any concerns they would be listened to. People said there were enough staff to meet their needs and they were supported to take their medicines when they needed them.

Staff had received appropriate induction training and on-going training was in place in order to develop staff and ensure they had the skills to meet the needs of the people they supported.

People were listened to and were involved in making decisions about their care and staff understood they could only care for and support people who consented to being cared for.

People we spoke with were very positive about the care that they received. They told us staff were kind and caring and treated them with dignity and respect. People told us how they enjoyed the social events arranged by the provider and that staff were caring in the support they provided. Staff provided support that ensured people were treated with privacy and dignity. People were supported by staff to maintain their independence.

People told us they were involved in the care and support that they received. People were given choice and their wishes were respected by staff. People told us staff were quick to respond when they were unwell and they were supported to access other health professionals when needed. People told us staff helped them prepare meals or attend the on-site restaurant when needed.

Complaints information was available and people and staff were confident of the actions they would take if they had concerns and that any concerns would be dealt with appropriately.

The management team ensured regular checks were completed to monitor the quality of the care that people received and had identified areas they felt would improve the service for people.

People were positive about the care and support they received and the service as a whole.

During our inspection we spoke with five people who lived at Yates Court that received care and support to meet their needs. We also spoke with two care staff, a team leader and the manager.

All the people who received a service that we spoke with told us that they were supported when they made day to day decisions about the care they received. People's values and diversity were respected and promoted. For example, people told us that they chose the times they wanted assistance or support. One person who received a service told us: "They (care staff) give me the time I need when they help me. This really helps me as I like to do some things myself."

We looked at some of the care plans that described people’s needs and how care staff should meet these. The information we received from the care staff confirmed that they had got to know people who they provided care and support to well and understood their routines. One person who received a service confirmed this was the case. They told us: "Staff know me so well which brings me comfort as sometimes I do forget things that I need to do."

Arrangements were in place to ensure that people who received a service were protected from harm. People said that they felt safe with the staff that provided care to them in their homes. One person told us: "I do feel safe."

We found that staff were recruited in a safe way and correct checks were carried out to ensure their suitability to care for people. One person who received a service told us that staff provided, "Peace of mind."

We found that arrangements were in place that made sure that the service people received was responsive to their needs and improvements were made.

We spoke with three people who lived at Yates Court. They told us they were provided with support when they needed it and they valued the security that living at Yates Court provided them. One person told us that moving to Yates Court had made a difference to their everyday living as staff were, ‘On hand’ if they needed any support which they said was reassuring.

People told us that they were treated with respect and that staff maintained their privacy and dignity. Several people described how they were supported where needed or checked on by a group of regular support staff. They told us that staff had got to know them well and understood their routines. We were also told by people that staff knocked and used their door bells before entering their homes. People told us they had their own keys.

We looked at the care records of three people that used the service. We saw that an assessment of people’s needs was carried out before the service started and reviewed when people’s needs had changed. One person told us that they had been ill recently and the extra support that they received helped them to recover from their illness and regain their independence.

People we spoke with were confident that they could raise concerns if they were not happy with the support being received and that they would be listened to. Improvements were made as a result of listening to the views of people.