Royal British Veterans Enterprise Care Agency

The service is provided as part of an assisted living scheme. The scheme comprises 40 self-contained flats. Each person had their own tenancy agreement and could choose who provided their personal care. At the time of the inspection there were 38 people receiving a service from the agency. Some of the people using the service only received help with housework. Other people received assistance with personal care including washing and dressing, bathing and managing medicines. This assistance was provided by care staff completing care calls to peoples' flats on planned dates and at set times.

The service was run by a charitable body who was the registered provider. There was a registered manager 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. In this report when we speak about both the charitable body and the registered manager we refer to them as being, 'the registered persons'.

At the last comprehensive inspection on 11 February 2016 the overall rating of the service was, 'Good'. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns.

This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found that the service remained, 'Good'.

People were safeguarded from situations in which they may be at risk of experiencing abuse including financial mistreatment. Risks to people's safety had been assessed, monitored and managed so they were supported to stay safe while their freedom was respected. Medicines were managed safely. There were enough staff to provide care calls in the right way. Background checks had been completed before new care staff had been appointed. Suitable arrangements were in place to prevent and control infection and lessons had been learned when things had gone wrong.

Care was delivered in a way that promoted positive outcomes for people. Care staff had the knowledge and skills they needed to provide support in line with legislation and guidance. This included respecting people's citizenship rights under the Equality Act 2010. When necessary people received individual assistance to prepare their meals and they were helped to have a balanced diet to promote their good health.

Suitable steps had been taken to ensure that people received coordinated and person-centred care when they used or moved between different services. People had been supported to live healthier lives by having suitable access to healthcare services so that they received on-going healthcare support. People were supported to maintain and decorate their accommodation so that it met their needs and expectations.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. The registered persons had also taken the necessary steps to ensure that people only received lawful care that was the least restrictive possible. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were treated with kindness, respect and compassion and they had been given emotional support when needed. They had also been supported to express their views about things that were important to them. This included them having access to lay advocates if necessary. Confidential information was kept private.

People received personalised care that promoted their independence. Information had been presented to them in an accessible way so that they could make and review decisions about the care they received. People were supported to pursue their hobbies and interests. The registered manager and care staff recognised the importance of promoting equality and diversity. There were arrangements to ensure that people's complaints were listened and responded to improve the quality of care. Suitable provision had been made to support people at the end of their life to have a comfortable, dignified and pain-free death.

The registered persons had promoted a person-centred culture in the service and had made the arrangements necessary to ensure that regulatory requirements were met. People who used the service, their relatives and care staff were actively engaged in developing the service. There were systems and procedures to enable the service to learn, improve and assure its sustainability. The registered persons were actively working in partnership with other agencies to support the development of joined-up care.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found