Archived: Pickering House

Updated 16 February 2017

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 23 January 2017 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed records held by CQC which included notifications, complaints and any safeguarding concerns. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. This enabled us to ensure we were addressing potential areas of concern at the inspection. We had not requested for 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.

To find out about people’s experience of living at the home we spoke with five people one relative and one visitor. We sat with people and engaged with them. We observed how staff cared for people, and worked together as a team. We also spoke with four staff which included the registered manager. We reviewed care and other records within the home. These included four care plans and associated records, four medicine administration records, four staff recruitment files, and the records of quality assurance checks carried out by the staff.

Updated 16 February 2017

The Journalists’ Charity provides a service to people who either worked in journalism or have been connected to journalism in the past. Pickering House is a home providing accommodation for up to 20 persons who require nursing or personal care, some of whom may have dementia. At the time of our inspection 15 people lived here.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 told us they were happy living here. One person said, “The staff and manager are very good. I can have conversations with them about current affairs. All the staff have a very good grasp of English.” Another person said, “I feel that I am well cared for here.” Staff were happy in their work and proud of the job they do.

Staff recruitment procedures were safe to ensure staff were suitable to support people in the home. The provider had carried out appropriate recruitment checks before staff commenced employment, such as eligibility to work in the UK and criminal records checks. Staff understood their duty should they suspect abuse was taking place, including the agencies that needed to be notified, such as the local authority safeguarding team or the police.

People were safe at Pickering House because there were sufficient numbers of staff who were appropriately deployed and trained to meet the needs of people.

Risks of harm to people had been identified and clear plans and guidelines for staff to follow were in place to minimise these risks. In the event of an emergency people were protected because there were clear procedures in place to evacuate the building. Each person had a plan which detailed the support they needed to get safely out of the building in an emergency.

Staff received a comprehensive induction and on-going training, tailored to the needs of the people they supported. Staff received regular support in the form of annual appraisals and formal supervision to ensure they gave a good standard of safe care and support.

Staff managed people’s medicines in a safe way and were trained in the safe administration of medicines. People received their medicines when they needed them.

Where people did not have the capacity to understand or consent to a decision the provider had followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005). An appropriate assessment of people’s ability to make decisions for themselves had been completed. Where people’s liberty may be restricted to keep them safe, the provider had followed the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) to ensure the person’s rights were protected.

People had enough to eat and drink to maintain good health, and received support from staff where a need had been identified. People’s individual dietary requirements where met.

People were supported to maintain good health as they had access to relevant healthcare professionals when they needed them. People’s health was seen to improve due to the care and support staff gave.

The staff were kind and caring and treated people with dignity and respect. People received the care and support as detailed in their care plans. Care plans were based around the individual preferences of people as well as their medical needs. People and relatives were involved in reviews of care to ensure it was of a good standard and meeting the person’s needs.

People had access to a wide range of activities that met their needs. Activities were available seven days a week to stimulate people and enable them to follow hobbies and interests.

People knew how to make a complaint. No complaints had been received in the last 12 months. Feedback from people was listened to and used to make positive changes to the service they received. Staff knew how to respond to a complaint should one be received.

The provider had effective systems in place to monitor the quality of care and support that people received. Quality assurance records were kept up to date to show that the provider had checked on important aspects of the management of the home. The registered manager had ensured that accurate records relating to the care and treatment of people and the overall management of the service were maintained.

People benefitted from living in a home with good leadership and a stable and dedicated staff team, so they knew the people who looked after them. Staff were very focused on ensuring that people received person centred care.