Archived: Swan Housing Association

Swan Housing Association provides care and support to people living in their own homes. The service being inspected was provided at an extra-care facility called The Cannons’ which is comprised of 38 units on one site. Most of the units are self-contained flats within a central building which also houses the communal facilities. There are four bungalows in the grounds which are also part of the service. The service predominantly supports older adults, some of whom may be living with dementia but also people with a physical or learning disability. It does not provide nursing care.

Swan Housing staff provide an on-call facility to everyone living at the service. They also provide personal care, depending on individual need. At the time of our inspection there were approximately 33 people being supported with their personal care needs, and it was this element of the service which we inspected.

A registered manager was in post 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.

Staff supported people to remain safe in their homes, whilst enabling them to maximise their independence. There were sufficient numbers of skilled staff to meet people’s needs and to spend time developing trusting relationships. People were supported to take their prescribed medicines safely. The provider had a robust recruitment process to make sure staff were suitable and fit to work at the service.

Staff felt well supported by managers and received training to develop their skills. Staff understood people’s rights to consent and make choices about the service they received.

Staff supported people to make choices about what they ate and drank. Staff monitored people’s health needs and enabled them to access health care professionals, when needed.

People had a positive experience of care and were treated with dignity and respect by staff.

People received flexible support that was personalised to take into account their needs and preferences. People and their families were aware of how to make a complaint and there were a number of opportunities available for them to give their feedback about the service.

Staff were enthusiastic about their jobs and worked well as a team. The manager was visible and actively involved in supporting staff and people. The provider had effective systems in place to check the quality of the service.

We found that the provider had arrangements for assessing and recording consent and people's capacity to consent.

We saw that people's care and treatment was planned and reviewed with their and/ or their relative's involvement, wherever possible. Risks to people's health, welfare and safety were identified and well managed. Our inspection and discussions with people afterwards showed us that the service was generally safe, responsive and caring.

Swan Housing Association Limited had office premises which were safe and suitable and we also found that there were systems in place to assess and improve the quality of service provision.

We found that staff were supported in their role at Swan Housing Association. One person told us, "I feel very supported working for Swan Housing Association Limited. "My manager is very approachable and supportive."

People told us that the care workers and the service asked them about the care that they were provided with and they felt that their comments were listened to. One person said, 'They read my care plan to me and I agree with it." Another person said, "Yes they ask what I want." A person's relative told us that they were, "Actively involved," in the care provided to their relative and that they felt that their views were listened to.

People told us that the care workers treated them with respect. One person said, "They (care workers) are all very well mannered, always say please and thank you." We asked a person's relative if they felt that their relative was treated with respect by the care workers and they answered, "Absolutely."

We looked at the care records of five people who used the service and found that people experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights.