Esther Randall Court

Updated 8 November 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors, and an Expert By Experience who contacted people using the service and their relatives for feedback. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is rented and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period notice of the inspection because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 6 people living at the service and 9 relatives. We also observed interactions between people and staff in the communal areas, including a music session and lunchtime.

We spoke with 10 staff members, including 8 care workers, a kitchen staff and the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 6 people's care records and medicines records for 7 people. We looked at 6 staff files in relation to safer recruitment and supervision. A variety of records relating to staffing and the management of the service, including quality assurance, staff training, accidents and incidents, policies and procedures, complaints, health and safety, and meeting minutes were also reviewed.

Updated 8 November 2023

About the service

Esther Randall Court is an Extra Care service providing care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. People lived in single occupancy flats in 1 adapted building. People also had access to communal areas, including a lounge, dining area, garden, a library, and 2 lifts.

Not everyone living at Esther Randall Court received the regulated activity personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection, personal care support was being provided to 25 people.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were safeguarded from abuse and staff were clear of their duty to raise concerns through the appropriate channels. Risks to people’s health, care and safety were assessed to make sure they were protected from avoidable harm.

The service adhered to safe recruitment practices to ensure only the suitable staff were employed. There were sufficient numbers of staff allocated to work with people. Staff received appropriate support and guidance to perform their roles effectively.

Staff supported people to take their medicines as prescribed. Medicines records were clear and completed appropriately. Measures were in place to protect people from the risks of infections.

People’s needs were assessed and reviewed regularly and when these changed. Staff supported people to eat and drink in line with their preferences and dietary requirements. People had access to healthcare services when needed.

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

The majority of people and their relatives described their care workers as “kind”, “understanding” and “wonderful”. People were involved and encouraged to make decisions about their care. Staff protected people’s dignity, respected their privacy and supported them to lead independent lives as much as possible.

Staff provided care and support according to people’s individual needs and preferences. People had the opportunity to interact among themselves and members of their local community, and participate in a wide range of activities. This promoted inclusivity and ensured people remained active.

There was a system to record and investigate complaints. Quality assurance systems assisted managers to monitor and improve the quality of service.

Managers and staff had created a friendly and caring environment, where people also felt safe. Managers also listened and acted upon feedback from people, relatives and staff. The service had formed positive relationships with other organisations and members of the local community.

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

Rating at last inspection

The service was registered with this provider in April 2023. The last rating for this service, under a previous provider, was good (published 22 January 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.