Archived: St Mary's Haven Residential Care Home

Updated 22 July 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.

The inspection took place on 13 and 14 April 2015. The inspection was unannounced and was undertaken by one inspector, a specialist pharmacy inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert’s area of expertise was dementia care and care for older people.

We did not request a Provider Information Return (PIR) from the provider prior to the inspection. The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and the improvements they plan to make. Before the inspection we reviewed information held about the service and notifications of incidents we had received. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

We looked around the premises and observed care practices on the two days of our visit. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) over the lunch time period on the first day. SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We spoke with 10 people who lived at the home, eight care staff, the registered manager and the service administrator We looked at three records relating to the care of individuals, three staff recruitment files, staff duty rosters, staff training records and records relating to the running of the home.

During the inspection we spoke with four relatives and four external professionals who had experience of the home. Following the inspection we also spoke with three external professionals who were familiar with the service and an additional two relatives of people who lived at St. Mary’s Haven Residential Home.

Updated 22 July 2015

This was an unannounced inspection, carried out over two days on 13 and 14 April 2015. There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

St. Mary’s Haven Residential provides accommodation for up to 25 people who need support with their personal care. The service mainly provides support for older people. The service uses a detached house arranged over two floors and has 23 single occupancy rooms and two double bedrooms. There were 25 people living at the home at the time of our inspection.

People told us they felt safe living at the home. Comments included; “It’s very nice here. I am happy” and “Very good. I have no complaints at all”. A relative told us, “I really don’t have anything negative to say about St. Mary’s. It’s a wonderful place, a brilliant home. My (relative) is very happy there and the staff are genuinely very fond of (person)”.

People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. The staff in the home took time to speak with the people they were supporting. We saw many positive interactions and people enjoyed talking to the staff in the home. Staff were trained and competent to provide the support people needed.

Where people did not have the capacity to make certain decisions the home acted in accordance with legal requirements under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

People had a choice of meals, snacks and drinks, which they told us they enjoyed. People had been included in planning menus and their feedback about the meals in the home had been listened to and acted on. Comments included; “I like the food, it is very good” and from a relative, “The food is very good. It is mainly freshly cooked and my (relative) came into the home very underweight and is now bonny having put on over two stone. No complaints at all”.

People told us staff treated them with care and compassion. Comments included; “The staff are lovely, very kind. They are so caring”. Another person said, “They’re all friendly, some come and talk to me. I don’t like doing activities but I have been out on the mini bus. They had a phone installed in my room when I asked; I can now talk to my friends. The girls will buy any cards I want and bring them to me.”

A relative of a person living at St. Mary’s said, “The staff take the time to get to know the people who live here. They are always asking what (relative) liked when they were younger and really make a point of talking to (relative) about their life before they moved to the home”. A professional we spoke with commented, “It is clear to see they understand and care for the residents”. Visitors told us they were always made welcome and were able to visit at any time. People were able to see their visitors in communal areas or in private. People told us they knew how to complain and would be happy to speak with the registered manager if they had any concerns.

Relatives of people living at St. Mary’s Haven Residential Home told us that people, and their families had been included in planning and agreeing to the care provided at the home. We saw that people had an individual plan, detailing the support they needed and how they wanted this to be provided. A relative told us, “We’re very much a team. I am kept fully aware and involved in (relative’s) care and I have every confidence in the staff and how (relative) is cared for. They are straight on the phone to me if there are any issues”.

The staff on duty knew the people they were supporting and the choices they had made about their care and their lives. People were supported to maintain their independence and control over their lives.

We looked at the arrangements for the management of people’s medicines. A specialist pharmacy inspector conducted a review of the procedure for managing medicines and found the medicines administration system was safe and effective. It was recommended the service review medication ordering and delivery processes so that medicines are received into the service at an appropriate time.

We walked around the home and saw it was comfortable and personalised to reflect people’s individual tastes. We noted some carpet in one bedroom that was in need of replacement. This was noted in the maintenance plan for the home.

There were systems to assess the quality of the service provided in the home and these were effective. The systems used ensured people were protected against the risk of infection and of receiving inappropriate or unsafe care and support.