St Mary's Convent and Nursing Home

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs. At our last assessment we rated this key question outstanding. At this assessment the rating has remained outstanding. This meant services were tailored to meet the needs of individuals and delivered to ensure flexibility, choice and continuity of care.

This service scored 89 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People’s care was person centred and focused on their specific support needs and wishes in relation to their care. People’s care plans identified their support needs and how the person wanted their care provided. People and relatives confirmed they were involved in the development and review of their care plan and staff understood their needs. A staff member said they found the care plans to be clear in showing what support people needed and how they liked support to be given.

A person said, “They all know what I want done and how I like things to be.” People had a staff member allocated as their key worker who would ensure the person had the support they needed. A staff member explained as a key worker they would ensure the person’s bedroom was clean and tidy, identify if they needed replacement clothes and toiletries. They would also contact the person’s family for them if asked. The staff member said they, “Found it easy to build a rapport with people through chatting to them about their lives.”

Family and friends were able to visit people at any time. The registered manager told us people’s care plans included outcomes providing guidance for staff on how to support people to maintain relationships with friends and family. We saw, when people had visitors, staff welcomed them and made sure they were happy. The chef explained that visitors were able to have meals with people. This meant people could maintain the links they had with people who were important to them.

Activities were organised which focused on things which people found important or interesting to them. The activities team worked with people to identify activities and outings which were advertised in advance in communal areas around the home. These included violin and piano concerts, theatre groups and singing. The home had their own vehicles to enable people to attend activities outside the home including an orchid festival, local royal parks, an art show and Christmas lunch at a garden centre. People could also access the visiting hairdresser and manicurist.

People were supported to access care from other services when required. People’s care plans identified any health and social care professionals involved in their support. Staff worked with other professionals to ensure people received the support required. Information following visits from professionals was included as part of the person’s care plan and risk assessment to provide guidance for staff. People were supported by staff to attend appointments, when required.

The provider was the first in the area to pilot the London Care Record. This record system provided health and social care professionals access to information about a person’s health and wellbeing needs. Clinical leads at the service attended care home engagement events at a local hospital. A healthcare professional told us they visited the service weekly, so people had a familiar face providing continuity with their healthcare needs. This visiting system resulted in a trial of weekly GP rounds being rolled out to other care homes and GP practices

People were provided information in a format that met their needs. People’s communication needs were discussed during the initial needs assessment and guidance on appropriate communication was provided for staff as part of the care plan and risk assessments.If issues were identified in relation to people’s communication needs these were discussed during the regular handover meetings.

The registered manager told us they had identified that several people living with hearing impairments. They identified a charity that worked with people experiencing hearing loss to provide information for people living at the home. The charity provided training for staff to improve their awareness and understanding of hearing loss.

The registered manager explained information was provided in a range of formats for example large print sheets for religious services and meeting minutes. The provider had items which read out information to people including talking clocks and a bible. There were picture boards and white boards where staff wrote questions down for people who preferred to read what they were being asked. Information and pictures were displayed on large television screens around the home to provide up to date information including menu options and activities for people in an easier to read format.

People and relatives were supported to provide feedback on the care and support provided.

People told us they were asked for their views on how their care was provided, the activities and how the home was run. People’s comments included, “I have been asked a lot on my preferences, which I appreciated” and “They are always asking for our opinions and what changes we would like to make here.” The registered manager told us regular meetings were organised to give people an opportunity to make suggestions about possible changes to how the home was run. There was a meeting to discuss people’s suggestion to extend the time the evening meal was available so people could choose when to eat. This proposal was being implemented by the registered manager.

There was a ‘You said, we did’ display in a communal area listing things people had suggested and what had been implemented. People and relatives were aware of how to raise any concerns or complaints, and they felt the complaints procedure was clear and easy to understand. A relative explained if they had any concerns, “I can contact the manager direct or the local authority.”

The provider undertook regular surveys with people being supported, relatives, staff and professionals. The feedback was used to identify possible improvements to the service.

People were supported to access services, events and activities outside of the home. Staff supported people to attend medical appointments and people could be taken to medical appointments using the transport service provided by the home. The home has 2 adapted vehicles which enabled people including those using wheelchairs to access the community to go shopping. If a person was unable to go out staff helped them with shopping including gifts they wanted to give friends and family. Minutes of a meeting showed there was a discussion in relation to identifying a minister to conduct the religious service on a Sunday morning. People were asked if they preferred to watch a streamed religious service, have the service at a different time or be supported to visit a local church to ensure they could maintain access to their faith community.

The provider implemented action to reduce the risk of inequality of experience for people receiving support. The registered manager told us information that could increase the risk of a person experiencing inequality of experience was identified and actions taken. The registered manager did tell us, “It is always a resident’s choice about what is shared with staff and on their care plans as privacy is paramount.” Staff completed equality, diversity and inclusion training which included information on people’s human rights. The home recognised different cultural backgrounds for example the chef told us they organised themed meals included a week of international dishes and for specific events such as Chinese for a party. The chef said during themed meal events they ensured a traditional menu was available to meet everyone’s preferences.

People were supported to make plans for the future. People’s care plans had a section on their wishes in relation to end of life care. This included if they wanted to remain at the home and not be taken to hospital if they deteriorate, who they wanted informed and any specific religious or cultural preferences.

The registered manager told us staff had recently completed training on providing end of life care and support. A nurse had completed a certificate on holistic and therapeutic care for people as they moved towards the end of their life. Staff were supported by a local hospice to manage people’s care. There was a display in the main corridor providing guidance for people, relatives and staff on how to discuss and make end of life care decisions with information how this could be recorded. There was a leaflet on how to cope with grief which was available for people who lived at the home and visitors.