St Mary's Convent and Nursing Home

Updated 10 September 2020

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.

This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place. As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a thematic review of infection control and prevention measures in care homes.

This inspection took place on 19 August 2020 and was announced. The service was selected to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

Updated 10 September 2020

About the service

St Mary's Convent and Nursing Home is a care home providing accommodation for up to 60 people who require personal care and support. At the time of the inspection there were 57 people using the service. The service was divided into four units for people who required nursing care and residential care.

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

People received exceptional person-centred care and were supported to have choice and control. Care plans were personalised and recorded people’s preferences, so staff knew how to respond to people’s needs in an effective but sensitive way. There were various activities on offer and people could choose to engage in activities that were meaningful to them. People were supported with their interests and links with the community were maintained. Families were welcomed to the home. There was a complaints procedure in place and the provider responded to complaints appropriately.

The provider had systems in place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse and staff knew how to respond to possible safeguarding concerns. There were also systems in place to identify and manage risks. Safe recruitment procedures were in place and there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Medicines were managed and administered safely. Staff followed appropriate infection control practices to prevent cross infection.

Supervisions, appraisals and competency testing provided staff with the support they required to undertake their jobs effectively and safely. People's needs were regularly assessed to ensure these could be met. People were supported to maintain healthy lives and access healthcare services appropriately. People were also 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.

People and their relatives consistently told us people were cared for by kind and supportive staff who knew the needs of the people they cared for well. The home was inclusive, respectful and staff went that extra bit further to ensure people were able to live in a way that suited their preferences and needs. People were involved in making decisions about their day to day care and their opinions were listened to and valued. Independence was promoted.

The provider had systems in place to monitor, manage and improve service delivery and to improve the care and support provided to people. People using the service and staff reported the registered manager was approachable and promoted an open work environment. All stakeholders said the home was well led. Clear leadership contributed to people and staff being positive about the management of the home and feeling valued and respected.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 6 June 2017).

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.