London Mental Health Care Centre

Updated 19 October 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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

London Mental Health Care Centre 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. London Mental Health Care Centre 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 CQC 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

The first day of the inspection was unannounced. The provider knew we would be returning to continue the inspection on the second day of the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included notifications of significant incidents reported to the CQC and the previous inspection report. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We contacted the local authority commissioning and safeguarding teams to support our planning. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager and a support worker. We also spoke with 3 people and 1 relative of someone receiving care. We reviewed care and medicine records of 3 people who used the service. We looked at 5 staff files and various records relating to the quality and safety of the service. We looked at samples of policies and procedures and quality assurance records.

After the inspection we sent feedback questionnaires to staff to gather their views of the service. We received responses from 5 members of staff.

Updated 19 October 2023

About the service

The London Mental Health Centre is a care home that provides support to people with a mental health condition. The home can accommodate up to 15 people. At the time of the inspection there were 14 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service

People told us they felt safe and we found risks to people’s health and wellbeing were identified and effective measures were in place to mitigate these. People’s medicines were managed safely. The provider recruited staff safely and there were enough staff on duty to keep people safe and respond to people’s needs. People were protected from the risk of infections as the home was clean and hygienic.

People received support from staff who had the knowledge and skills to meet their needs. Staff worked well with other health and social care professionals to ensure people’s physical and mental healthcare was supported. The provider had made improvements to the décor and layout of the building to promote people’s comfort and further improvements had been identified and incorporated in the service improvement plan.

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.

People were treated with kindness and received person-centred care from well trained staff that knew them well. There were a range of activities on offer and the provider was working on improving the range of activities they provided to ensure people had opportunities for social stimulation and community engagement.

We received positive feedback from people receiving care, relatives, staff and professionals about the management and culture of the service. One person receiving care said, “The manager and the staff are very supportive. I can’t fault them.” A member of staff told us, “The best thing about the service is that I am making a positive difference to someone’s life.” The registered manager conducted a range of quality assurance checks to ensure safety and quality was maintained.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection:

The last rating for this service was Good (published 3 August 2017).

Why we inspected

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

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

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