St Denys Care Home

Updated 22 February 2022

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.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 9 February 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours' notice of the inspection.

Updated 22 February 2022

St Denys is a care home without nursing for up to 12 people with predominately mental health issues. The accommodation is provided in a large terraced house with bedrooms on ground and first floor. There is easy access into the local town.

Rating at last inspection

At our last comprehensive inspection completed in November 2017 we rated the service as overall requires improvement with requirements in recruitment and good governance. In October 2018, we followed up with a focussed inspection to check they were meeting therequirements we had set. We found they had been met, which meant their overall rating had improved to Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Why the service is rated Good.

The service had a registered manager who was also the registered provider. 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.

People said they felt safe and well cared for by a staff group who understood their needs.

Care and support was being well planned with good liaison with healthcare professionals where needed. One healthcare professional said “I have been impressed with the way they have helped (name of person) settle in. They are doing better than I expected.”

People were supported by sufficient staff with the right skills. Staff treated people with respect and dignity. Care and support was being delivered in a kind and compassionate way.

Staff had support and training to help them do their job effectively. They felt valued and listened to. Staff said there was a good team work approach within the home. They worked in a way which encouraged people to retain as much independence as possible. Risks had been clearly identified and where needed measures had been put in place to reduce those risks.

People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet. Healthcare needs were monitored. Some people were supported to attend appointments and access the local community. Most people had a level of independence which meant they could organise their own social outings. Some activities were organised in house and for group outings to the local amenities.

Systems and audits ensured the quality of care and support were being reviewed and improved. People were enabled to have their voice heard.

Further information is in the detailed findings below