18 January 2017
During a routine inspection
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.