Archived: St Mark's Care Home

St Mark's Care Home is a purpose built home situated in Stockton on Tees. It accommodates people over two floors and has communal dining areas and lounges. There are surrounding gardens and onsite parking available to the rear of the property. It is registered to provide accommodation and nursing and personal care for up to 39 people. At the time of our inspection 30 people were using the service.

There was a manager in place who was in the process of applying to be registered manager. 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.

Risks to people using the service were assessed and plans put in place to reduce the chances of them occurring. The premises and equipment were regularly reviewed to ensure they were safe for people to use. Accidents and incidents were monitored to see if improvements could be made to keep people safe. Plans were in place to provide a continuity of care in emergency situations.

Medicines were managed safely. Safeguarding policies and procedures were in place to help protect people from abuse. The manager monitored staffing levels to ensure they were sufficient to support people safely. Recruitment procedures were in place to minimise the risk of unsuitable staff being employed.

Staff received the training they needed to support people effectively and were supported through regular supervisions. Staff worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, but the registered provider’s paperwork was not always effective at identifying people’s capacity to make decisions. People were supported to maintain a healthy diet and to access healthcare professionals to maintain and promote their health.

People and their relatives spoke positively about staff at the service, describing them as kind and caring. Support was delivered in a kind and caring way. Staff stopped and talked with people as they moved around the building, which helped to create a homely atmosphere. People were treated with dignity and respect.

Advocacy services were advertised in communal areas throughout the service, and the manager told us how people would be supported to access these if needed. Procedures were in place to provide end of life care where needed.

Care was person-centred and based on people’s assessed needs and preferences. Care plans were detailed and contained information on how people wanted to be supported. The staff team was very reflective and all looked at how they could tailor their practice to ensure the care delivered was completely person-centred.

People were supported to access activities they enjoyed and procedures were in place to investigate and respond to complaints.

Staff spoke positively about the culture and values of the service. The service had a clear management structure in place, led by an effective manager who understood the aims of the service and made appropriate notifications to CQC.

The manager carried out a number of quality assurance checks to monitor and improve standards at the service. Feedback was sought from people and their relatives through monthly meetings.

People's health, safety and welfare was protected when more than one provider was involved in their care and treatment, or when they moved between different services. This was because the provider worked in co-operation with others.

People were protected from unsafe or unsuitable equipment.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard.

People were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because accurate and appropriate records were maintained.

People we spoke with spoke very positively about the service. They told us, "I have total confidence in them (staff), I really do" and "I cannot think of any areas that I could say needed improvement, they have been, and continue to be, first class".

The people we spoke with told us that they always found the staff worked hard to meet people's care needs and were really kind. They felt able to raise any of their concerns with staff. People said, 'The staff are marvellous', 'I Love it here', 'Nowhere is perfect but I find these to be the best you are going to get' and 'The staff do a good job.'

A new manager came into post December 2012 and at the time of the visit was awaiting the completion of her registration with us. People told us that they found the new manager to be very approachable. The relatives told us that they felt confident that the new manager would make sure the service met people's needs.

From our observations and discussions with the people we found that care staff worked in ways that supported the people and treated individuals with humanity as well as empathy.

We found that systems were in place to make sure the staff recruited was able to undertake their role in a safe and effective manner. We also found that an effective complaints procedure was in place, all concerns were fully investigated and action was always taken to improve practices at the home.