Archived: St Katherine Care Home

Updated 25 November 2015

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 22 and 28 September 2015 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert by experience in dementia. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

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 used this information when planning and undertaking the inspection. We reviewed information we held about the home including previous inspection reports and notifications. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

We spoke with six people living at the home, and two family members. We also spoke with the registered manager, a senior representative of the provider and four care staff. We looked at care plans and associated records for four people, staff duty records, five recruitment files, accidents and incidents records, policies and procedures and quality assurance records. We observed care and support being delivered in communal areas. We used 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 to us. We also received feedback from a general practitioner.

Updated 25 November 2015

This Inspection took place on 22 and 28 September 2015 and was unannounced. St Katherine Care Home provides accommodation and care for up to 20 older people with mental health needs or people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 13 people living at the home.

The home had a registered manager who had been registered since April 2015. 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.

At our previous inspection on 17 July 2014, we identified breaches of three regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010. Arrangements in the laundry room was not adequate to promote and control the risk of infection. Medicines were not stored at the correct temperature and there were a lack of audits to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the service provided. We set compliance actions and the provider sent us an action plan stating they would be meeting the requirements of the regulations by 15 December 2014.

At this inspection we found effective action had been taken in the laundry room, medicines were stored at the correct temperature and audits were in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the service.

We found people’s safety was compromised in some areas. The sink in the upstairs bathroom was cracked and there was rust on the downstairs shower pole, which meant it could not be cleaned properly. This presented a potential infection control risk to people.

People were supported to receive their medicines safely from suitably trained staff. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Relevant checks were conducted before staff started working at St Katherine to make sure they were of good character and had the necessary skills. Staff received regular supervision and support where they could discuss their training and development needs.

Staff sought consent from people before providing care or support. The ability of people to make decisions was assessed in line with legal requirements to ensure their liberty was not restricted unlawfully. Decisions were taken in the best interests of people.

People received varied and nutritious meals including a choice of fresh food and drinks. Staff were aware of people’s likes and dislikes and offered alternatives if they did not want the menu option of the day.

People were cared for with kindness, compassion and sensitivity. We observed positive interactions between people and staff.

People and their families (where appropriate) were involved in assessing, planning and agreeing the care and support they received. People were encouraged to remain as independent as possible. Their privacy and dignity was protected.

Care plans provided comprehensive information about how people wished to receive care and support. This helped ensure people received personalised care in a way that met their individual needs.

There was an open and transparent culture at the home. There were appropriate management arrangements in place. Staff and people were encouraged to talk to the manager about any concerns. Regular audits of the service were carried out to assess and monitor the quality of the service.