We carried out an unannounced inspection of Osborne Court on 2nd March 2018. The service was rated Good at the last inspection in December 2015. Osborne Court comprises of 40 apartments which are owner occupied and run by a management company whose board members live in Osborne Court. The company is registered with the Care Quality Commission as a domiciliary care agency, so that a care service can be provided for people who live there if they require this. At the time of inspection eight people were receiving a personal care service.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good. With the Effective domain improving to Good.

The service had a registered manager who had been in post since July 2016. However they were absent during the inspection and an acting manager was in attendance.

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.

Care records including risk assessments were well-kept and up-to-date. Each person using the service had a personalised support plan and risk assessment and all were up to date and regularly reviewed. We found that people and their relatives were involved in decisions about their care and support. We also saw that medications were handled appropriately and safely.

We found that recruitment practices were in place which included the completion of pre-employment checks prior to a new member of staff working at the service and disciplinary procedures had been followed appropriately and in accordance with the provider’s policies and procedures. Staff received a comprehensive induction programme regular training and supervision which enabled them to work safely and effectively.

GPs and other healthcare professionals were contacted for advice about people’s health needs whenever necessary. The provider had systems in place to ensure that people were protected from the risk of harm or abuse. We saw there were policies and procedures in place and training to guide staff in relation to safeguarding adults.

The provider had quality assurance processes in place including audits, staff meetings and quality questionnaires. The provider had policies and procedures in place which they regularly reviewed. They included policies on health and safety, confidentiality, mental capacity, medication, whistle blowing, safeguarding and recruitment.

People told us they were happy with the staff and felt that the staff understood their support needs. People and their relatives had no complaints about the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We carried out an unannounced inspection of Osborne Court on 09 December 2015.

Osborne Court comprises 40 apartments which are owner occupied and run by a management company whose board members live in Osborne Court. The company is registered with the Care Quality Commission as a domiciliary care agency, so that a care service can be provided for people who live there if they require this.

There was a registered manager in post who was registered with the Care Quality Commission.

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 people who lived at Osborne Court were referred to as 'owners'. They all had individual apartments with private entrance and there were also communal facilities including a lounge, dining room, hobbies room and landscaped gardens. A 'guest suite' could be booked for visitors and there were lifts to all apartments. At the time of our visit the people who lived there were mostly independent and only a small number of people received personal care .

The staff employed at Osborne Court knew the people they were supporting and the care they needed. People who used the domiciliary service and staff told us that Osborne Court was well led and staff told us that they felt well supported in their roles. We saw that the manager was a visible presence in and about the establishment and it was obvious that they knew the people who lived in the apartments extremely well.

We saw that improvements were needed to record people’s consent and that staff needed to improve their understanding of the Mental Capacity Act.

We saw that adequate arrangements were in place for the administration of medication to people who could not manage their own medicines.. All the medication was in date and appropriately labelled and the medication administration records were well maintained and completed appropriately with staff signatures. This showed people’s medicines matched what had been administered. Medicines were stored safely and there was evidence that staff administering medication were trained and competent to do so.

The provider had systems in place to ensure that people were protected from the risk of harm or abuse. We saw there were policies and procedures in place to guide staff in relation to safeguarding adults.

People spoke very positively about the service being provided and the staff and managers who supported them.

The people who lived at Osborne Court were referred to as 'owners'. They all had a two bedroomed apartment with private entrance and there were also communal facilities including a lounge, dining room, hobbies room and landscaped gardens. A 'guest suite' could be booked for visitors and there were lifts to all apartments. At the time of our visit the people who lived there were mostly independent and only a small number of people received personal care .

We spoke to one person and looked at surveys that had been completed by the people who received personal care and their relatives. People were happy with the care service. Comments included: "The service is excellent and couldn't be improved"; "I can't speak highly enough of the care Mum receives"; "They're all very helpful"; "The care is wonderful".

Adequate arrangements were in place for the administration of medication to people who could not manage their own medicines.

There was a system in place for recording and dealing with complaints.

Records were fit for purpose, stored securely and retained for an appropriate length of time.

People who lived at Osborne Court had their own self-contained two bedroom apartment with private entrance, and passenger lifts to the first floor apartments. There were communal facilities including a lounge, a dining room, and a hobbies room. A number of regular communal social activities were available for people who wished to participate. A midday meal was available daily in the dining room or people could request to have a tray taken to their apartment. People who lived at Osborne Court were all over 60 years of age. Most people were independent and at the time we visited only four people received a care service, and only one received support with personal care. All of the owners received one and a half hours housekeeping assistance per week. A duty manager was available on site 24 hours a day.

The registered manager monitored the care service provided by meeting regularly with the people who received a service and through a questionnaire. One person had written “All very good, I don’t feel it can be improved”. A relative had written “The service received is excellent. Since Mum arrived at Osborne Court she has been treated with respect and her care has been tailored to her needs well. We have always had good support and advice from the management team regarding how to deal with Mum’s medical condition and how best to help her settle in her new surroundings”.

An annual quality assurance questionnaire was sent out to all of the owners by Retirement Security Ltd.

The service carries out an annual satisfaction questionnaire for the people who live at Osborne Court. In January 2012, one person had written:

‘I received assistance with showering and it was done on each occasion efficiently and in a manner hard to improve. It helps a lot to know the HKAs (Housekeeping Assistants) and I much appreciated the tact shown. The showers were completed just within the allotted time of 30 minutes. I could not have managed without the assistance. My wife and myself can see no way in which this service could be improved.’

Another person had written:

‘Very happy with all the service and care I have received.’

We spoke with another person who told us that she has lived at Osborne Court for 12 years. She said “I am absolutely thrilled to bits with the service.” She has used the care service twice, following an illness in 2010 and surgery in 2011. She said that when she was taken ill the staff were with her ‘within seconds”, and were “absolutely brilliant”. She went on to say “It is extremely frustrating to have to ask for help, but I know all the girls and they looked after me so well, I can’t tell you how good they are.” She had care morning and evening when she returned from hospital but after a while decided that she no longer needed the evening call and now has three mornings a week support with having a shower. When the staff visit her apartment they always knock, even though the door is open, and they ask “What would you like done today?”

One person we spoke with said “ The staff are absolutely honest.”

We spoke with a person who has lived at Osborne Court for a year and is Chair of the owners’ group. She told us that she is a liaison between the people who live at Osborne Court and the management. She had not received any complaints about the service.