Mary Chapman Court

Updated 8 November 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was conducted by 1 inspector, an inspector from the CQC medicines team and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Mary Chapman Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Mary Chapman Court is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 09 October 2023 and ended on 26 October 2023. We visited the service on 09 October 2023. A member of CQC medicines team visited the service on 17 October 2023.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 12 people who used the service and 2 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We received feedback from 12 members of staff including the registered manager, regional director, kitchen staff, senior care workers and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 6 people’s care records and numerous medication records. We looked at 4 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, training data and quality assurance records were reviewed.

Updated 8 November 2023

About the service

Mary Chapman Court is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 34 people. The service provides support to older people some of whom who may be living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 29 people using the service.

Mary Chapman Court is split across two floors. All bedrooms have a wash hand basin and toilet. There are shared bathrooms and living areas located on each floor. In addition, the care home has a private enclosed garden.

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

Information relating to the reason for administration of 'as required medicines’ was not consistently recorded. The registered manager took action during the inspection to address this shortfall. Staff had received training in the safe administration and management of medicines.

Staff provided mixed feedback regarding the staffing levels in the service. The registered manager shared with us processes in place to ensure staffing levels were appropriate. This was regularly reviewed to ensure people's needs were met.

People told us they felt safe. Risks to people’s safety were assessed and measures were in place to mitigate risk of harm.

People were 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.

A process was in place to ensure staff were safely recruited. Staff received a robust induction and further training which equipped them for their role.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality and standard of care at the service. Where shortfalls were identified, actions were implemented to support making improvements.

Relatives spoke highly of the registered manager and staff. One relative said, “The registered manager and staff try hard to provide good care. They are all passionate about people and putting their needs first. Staff are very welcoming, passionate, and caring.”

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 29 November 2017).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Mary Chapman Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow Up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.