About the service:

The Fairways Retirement Village provides personal care to people living in their own home. The Retirement Village consists of houses and apartments which people have purchased. The service is managed by the MHA group which is a charitable organisation. At the time of this inspection 20 people were using the service and 86 people lived at The Fairways.

People’s experience of using this service:

The monitoring and recording of safe medicine management needs further improvement. Guidance was not always available for staff to give people their medicines safely. This was a breach of Regulation 12.

A system was in place to monitor the quality of the service that people received. However not all issues around medicines had been identified prior to our inspection.

We saw that where a risk had been identified an assessment had been put in place. At times these assessments needed further detail to be recorded on the actions taken to minimise the risk. There were no care plans in place around behaviours that could challenge.

The provider had effective safeguarding systems in place and all the staff we spoke with had a good understanding of what to do to make sure people were protected from harm or abuse. People told us they felt safe.

People’s health care needs were monitored and any changes in their health or well-being prompted a referral to their GP or other health care professionals. People and relatives told us the staff were very vigilant

People praised the care and support they received from staff that were kind, caring and respectful. People were encouraged and supported to make decisions about their care.

Staff and people using the service found the leadership of the service to be good and available to support when needed. The registered manager was visible in the service.

Rating at last inspection:

Good (report published 30 November 2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up:

We have told the provider they must take action to improve the service. We found one breach of the Regulations around safe medicine management. We will continue to monitor the service and complete a further inspection to assess whether the improvements have been made.

This inspection took place on the 12 October 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice to ensure the relevant people would be available on the day of the inspection. As this was a new service registered in 2014, this was the first rated inspection.

The Fairways Retirement village provides personal care to people living in their own home. At the time of the inspection, 17 people were receiving a service. The retirement village consists of houses and apartments which people had purchased. A range of facilities were provided as part of this package. The domiciliary care office was located adjacent to the apartments of some of the people using the service. Apartments were located at a ground and first floor level with a lift for access. The inner ground floor communal space was covered but allowed day light to come through. This space was used for activities and social interaction.

There was a registered manager in place 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. The registered manager was available throughout the inspection.

There were sufficient staff numbers to enable them to perform their roles effectively and people told us staff arrived on time.

The provider had ensured that staff had the knowledge and skills they needed to carry out their roles effectively. Relevant training was provided to ensure staff’s knowledge was up to date.

Staff understood people’s individual needs and their daily routines. Care was delivered to people in a person centred way.

People’s rights were protected in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People’s capacity was considered in decisions being made about their care and support and best interest decisions were made when necessary. Staff received training to help them understand their obligations under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how it had an impact on their work.

There were systems in place that safeguarded people. Policies and procedures were in place to guide staff to make referrals to the relevant external agencies if the need arose. Staff we spoke with demonstrated an understanding of the process.

Systems were in place to safely manage people’s medicines. A policy was in place to guide staff through the process of ordering, stock control and the disposal of any unused medicines. Staff also received regular training in this area to ensure they were competent to administer people’s medicines.

People were involved in reviews of their care needs to ensure that staff had up to date information about how to meet people’s needs. People’s records demonstrated their involvement in the support planning and decision making processes. Care support plans and risk assessments were representative of people’s current needs and gave detailed guidance for staff to follow. Staff understood people’s individual needs and preferences which meant that they received care in accordance with their wishes.

People, relatives and friends that we spoke with told us people received a good quality of care and support. People, relatives and staff had developed positive relationships with each other.

Staff we spoke with felt the service was well led and the registered manager was available when needed. Staff meetings took place on a regular basis. Staff felt they worked well as a team.

There were systems in place to obtain the views of people who used the service and their relatives. There were audits in place to identify potential shortfalls in the delivery of service and if required an action plan to address this.