OSJCT Gregory House

Updated 23 March 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 3 March 2021 and was announced prior to the inspector travelling to the service.

Updated 23 March 2021

This unannounced inspection took place on 1 September 2017. This residential care service is registered to provide accommodation and personal care support for up to 32 people. At the time of the inspection there were 30 people living at the home.

At the last inspection in December 2014 this service was rated as good.

At this inspection the service was rated overall outstanding.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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 service demonstrated an excellent commitment to providing outstanding care which was embedded into the practices of the staff and the management team. The service put people's views at the forefront of the service and designed the service around their needs. Staff were encouraged and enabled to work creatively which achieved consistently outstanding outcomes for the people receiving care and support. There was a strong system of quality assurance led by the provider and manager that ensured people consistently received exceptional care and support.

The registered manager was inspiring and dedicated to providing care which met the highest of standards. They strived for excellence through consultation, research and reflective practice. They were passionate and dedicated to providing an outstanding service to people. They led with a dynamic approach and continually reflected on how to improve the service further. They demonstrated a strong and supportive leadership style, seeking feedback in order to further improve what was offered. The provider's vision and values were understood and shared across the staff team.

The service was exemplary in responding to people's needs and preferences. People were supported by a service that was devoted to getting to know the people they supported. Relatives told us the service was responsive and well managed. The service sought people's views and opinions and acted upon them.

People were supported with care and compassion and there was an ethos of care which was person centred and valued people as individuals. People received a personalised service which was responsive to their individual needs and there was an emphasis on each person's identity and what was important to them from the moment they moved into the service.

There were sufficient staff to meet people's needs. Staff were not rushed in their duties and had time to chat with people. Throughout the inspection there was a calm atmosphere and staff responded promptly to people who needed support. The service had robust recruitment procedures and conducted background checks to ensure staff were suitable for their role.

Care records contained risk assessments and risk management plans to protect people from identified risks and helped to keep them safe. They gave information for staff on the identified risk and informed staff on the measures to take to minimise any risks. People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed and medicines were obtained, stored, administered and disposed of safely. People received care from staff that were supported to carry out their roles to meet the assessed needs of people living at the home. Staff received training in areas that enabled them to understand and meet the care needs of each person and people were actively involved in decisions about their care and support needs.

Staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) to make sure they understood how to protect people's rights. There was guidance in relation to the MCA and people were asked for their consent before staff carried out any care or treatment. CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. The registered manager, registered provider and staff ensured that people were supported in ways that did not restrict their freedom and were supported appropriately to uphold their rights.

A variety of choices of food and drinks were offered at the home. Staff supported people to eat and drink with patience and dignity. People told us they had good access to their GP, dentist and optician. Staff at the service had good links with healthcare services and people told us they were involved in decisions about their healthcare. People who used the service were supported to obtain the appropriate health and social care that they needed.

Care plans were written in a person centred manner and focussed on giving people choices and opportunities to receive their care how they liked it to be. They detailed how people wished to be supported and people were fully involved in making decisions about their care. People participated in a range of activities and received the support they needed to help them do this. People were able to raise complaints and there was an easy read guide to support people through the process.

Robust quality assurance reports had been developed, incorporating all elements of requirements relating to legislation, Care Quality Commission guidance, best practice guidelines, along with evidence of how each area was being met. Continual auditing was carried out to ensure the safety and quality of care that was provided, using information from the audits to drive continual improvement.