Archived: St Marys

Updated 10 December 2016

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This responsive inspection took place on 4 October 2016 and was unannounced. The membership of the inspection team consisted of two inspectors.

Before the inspection, we reviewed information we held about the service, in particular notifications about incidents, accidents and safeguarding information. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

We observed the lunchtime within Constable. We spoke with the two people who used the service and two relatives. We interviewed six staff members of all designations within the service and spoke with the registered manager.

We reviewed seven care support plans, daily records and records relating to staffing and to the quality and safety monitoring of the service.

Updated 10 December 2016

This unannounced inspection took place on 4 October 2016.It was a responsive inspection to follow up on the comprehensive inspection that was completed on 12 and 19 May 2016. At that previous inspection we had issued two warning notices that related to care and welfare of people using the service Regulation 12 and the management systems in well led Regulation 17. We found at the most recent inspection things had improved and the service was now meeting regulations.

St Marys can support up to 60 older people in a residential type care home. Some people live with dementia and reside on Constable. This is a part of the home designed to keep people safe and supported by suitable staff. At the time of our inspection 34 people were residing at the service. This was because following our last inspection the provider decided to not admit anyone new to the home until they had made improvements. Since this inspection we have been notified by the provider that they are admitting people again on a phased introduction because they are confident that they have improved and can meet people needs.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection and they facilitated our visit. 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.

We found a service that had responded to our concerns and had focused its resources to improve the quality of service for people. People were involved and consulted about their quality of life. They were involved in decision making where possible and had developing opportunities in relation to day time activities and further opportunities being developed. Care plans were informative, regularly reviewed and enabled staff to provide consistent appropriate care based upon individual needs. Daily recordings were based upon plans, policies and procedures in place.

Risk assessments highlighted how people could be kept as safe as possible. People had access to healthcare support to remain healthy and were able to access medical support in the event of becoming unwell, an accident or a fall.

Staff were well supported. There were sufficient staff that worked flexibly to meet people’s needs. There was access to a team leader at all times. Staff were given the appropriate training to meet people’s needs and were able to gain professional recognised qualifications. There was an ongoing training program in place to support staff. Staff understood the aims and objectives of the service and worked towards and in line with these.

The management of the service was well regarded by staff, who told us they were visible and approachable and responsive to ideas. A full management team was now in place. Additional resources had been drawn to the service to support managers and staff to make the changes necessary in relation to care planning, training and management systems to ensure the quality of care delivery.