Archived: St Martins

Updated 22 February 2017

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 inspection took place on 18 January 2017 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Prior to our inspection we reviewed information we held about the service. This included previous inspection reports, information received and statutory notifications. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. Before the inspection, we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We contacted commissioners (who fund the care for some people) of the service and asked them for their views.

During our inspection we spoke with ten people who were using the service, four relatives, three members of care staff, the registered manager and a representative of the provider. We also observed the way staff cared for people in the communal areas of the building using a recognised tool called the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We looked at the care plans for three people and any associated daily records. We also looked at a range of records relating to the running of the service such as medicines administration records and three staff files.

Updated 22 February 2017

This inspection took place on 18 January 2017 and was unannounced. St Martins provides accommodation and personal care for up to 21 people with and without dementia. On the day of our inspection 16 people were using the service.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

Staff understood their responsibility to protect people from the risk of abuse and appropriate action was taken in response to any incidents. Risks to people’s health and safety were regularly assessed and action taken to reduce the risks.

There were sufficient numbers of staff employed and people’s needs were met in a timely manner because staff were organised and well deployed. People received their medicines when they needed them and medicines were stored and recorded appropriately.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. The DoLS is part of the MCA, which is in place to protect people who lack capacity to make certain decisions because of illness or disability. DoLS protects the rights of such people by ensuring that if there are restrictions on their freedom these are assessed by professionals who are trained to decide if the restriction is needed. There were systems in place to ensure people were not deprived of their liberty unlawfully. People were supported to provide consent for the care they received.

Staff were provided with relevant training, supervision and appraisal. There was a plan in place to ensure any gaps in training provision were rectified. People had access to sufficient quantities of food and drink and told us they enjoyed the food. People had access to a range of healthcare services and staff followed the guidance that was provided.

There were caring and friendly relationships between staff and the people living at St Martins. People were empowered to make day to day decisions about their care and staff respected the choices people made. People were treated with dignity and respect by staff and their right to privacy was upheld.

Staff were aware of people’s care needs and provided responsive care. However, people’s care plans did not always contain sufficient information about their current support needs. There was a limited range of activities provided which some people felt did not meet their social needs. People told us they would feel comfortable making a complaint to the registered manager.

There was an open and transparent culture at the home, people and staff felt comfortable speaking up if they wanted to. People and staff commented positively on the registered manager, who provided clear and positive leadership. People were able to provide their opinion on the quality of the service they received and their views were acted upon. The registered manager had implemented effective quality monitoring systems which identified areas for improvement and ensured action was taken.