St Mary's Care Home

Updated 23 July 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. 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

St Mary’s Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included, information shared with us by the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We also used information the provider sent to us, including that in the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us with key information about the service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people, three relatives, one visiting healthcare professional, and six staff. These included a care worker, a nurse, the clinical lead nurse, a unit manager, the chef, and the registered manager, and the provider’s area manager. We also spoke briefly with regional support manager, and the regional director.

We reviewed a range of records. These included sampling three people’s care records and two staff files in relation to supervision and training. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and quality assurance reports, and minutes of staff meetings.

Updated 23 July 2019

About the service:

St Mary’s Care Home is a care home, providing personal and nursing care.

It accommodates 60 people with a variety of health conditions, across two floors, each of which has separate adapted facilities. At the time of the inspection, 37 people were living at the service. The provider had decided to close part of the building for refurbishment and during this time would have no more than 42 people living at the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

Staff worked well together to ensure people were safe and well cared for. They knew the people they cared for well and understood, and met, their needs. People were protected from avoidable harm by a staff team trained and confident to recognise and report any concerns. Staff assessed and minimised any potential risks to people. Staff followed the provider’s procedures to prevent the spread of infection and reduce the risk of cross contamination. The provider had systems in place to enable staff to safely manage people’s medicines.

The provider had systems in place to make sure they only employed staff once they had checked they were suitable to work with people who used the service. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs safely. The registered manager reviewed staffing levels and people needs regularly. People received care from staff who were trained and well supported to meet people’s assessed needs.

Staff supported people to have enough to eat and drink and maintain a healthy weight. They worked well with external professionals to support people to keep well.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were involved in making decisions about their care and support.

Staff supported people in a sensitive and friendly way. Staff were respectful when they spoke with, and about, people. They supported people to develop their independence. Support was person-centred and met each person’s specific needs. People and their relatives were involved in their, or their family member's, care reviews.

People’s care plans were detailed and provided staff guidance on how to meet each person’s needs. People’s needs were constantly reviewed, and their care was adapted as required. Staff supported people to express and wishes they had for their end of life care and followed these.

People and their families felt able to raise concerns which the provider addressed. The provider had systems in place, including a complaints procedure, to deal with any concerns or complaints. The provider and registered manager promoted a culture that focused on people as individuals. The provider had put robust systems in place to effectively monitor the service and bring about further improvement.

Rating at last inspection:

The last rating for this service was Good (published 15 October 2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

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