Archived: Cristos

Updated 23 January 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 checked 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 home, and to provide a rating for the home under the Care Act 2014.

We visited the home on the 14 and 16 October 2014. This was an unannounced inspection. The inspection team consisted of two inspectors.

During the inspection, we spoke with six people who lived at the home, two visiting relatives, a health and social care professional (nurse) visiting the home, two care staff, the deputy manager and the provider. The visiting nurse provided feedback which has been shared within this report.

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the home. We considered information which had been shared with us by the local authority and looked at safeguarding alerts that had been made and notifications which had been submitted. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. .

We spent time observing how staff interacted with people and spoke with people at length. During the inspection we reviewed the records of the home. These included quality assurance audits, staff training records and policies and procedures. We looked at five care plans and five risk assessments along with other relevant documentation to support our findings. We also ‘pathway tracked’ people living at Cristos. This is when we looked at their care documentation in depth and obtained their views on how they found living at Cristos. It is an important part of our inspection, as it allowed us to capture information about a sample of people receiving care.

Updated 23 January 2015

We inspected Cristos on the 14 and 16 October 2014. Cristos is a family run care home, registered to provide accommodation for up to 11 adults with a learning disability or older people. On the day of the inspection, 10 people were living at the home. The age group of the people currently living at the home ranged from 60 years to 90 years old. Many people living at the home had lived there for over 10 years and had formed strong friendships with staff and management. The individual care needs of people varied within the home. Many people required support with maintaining independent living skills whilst other people required daily personal care support.

Cristos is centrally located in Hove, the home provides access to the city centre and seafront. There is good access to public transport. Many people living at the home regularly accessed the local community to do their shopping, go to work or voluntary work. People spoke highly of Cristos. One person told us, “I love it here.”

A registered manager was in post, who was also the provider/owner. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the last inspection in May 2014, we asked the provider to take action to make improvements in the management of infection control, quality assurance of the home and record keeping. An action plan was received from the provider which stated they would meet the legal requirements by 31 July 2014. At this inspection we found improvements had been made but areas for improvement were still identified.

Feedback was regularly sought from people, relatives and staff. This helped to improve the quality of the care provided. However, the provider’s system of monitoring, assessing and evaluating the quality of the home required addressing. We have made a recommendation for improvement in this area.

Each person had a care plan that outlined their needs and the support required to meet those needs. Care plans were personalised and included information on people’s individual likes, dislikes, daily routine and the strengths of the individual. However, people’s health and social care needs were not always considered in their care plans. We have identified this as an area of practice that required improvements.

Staff were seen smiling and laughing with people and joining in activities in the home. From observing staff interact with people, it was clear staff had spent considerable time with people, getting to know them, gaining an understanding of their personal history and building friendships with them. People were provided with a choice of healthy food and drink ensuring their nutritional needs were met.

People could choose how to spend their day and they took part in activities in the home and the community. People’s freedom in the home was not restricted. People regularly went out and about, coming and going from local day centres, jobs and voluntary work. People had their own front door key and were able to lock their bedroom door as well for their own privacy.

Staff received training that was relevant in supporting people with learning disabilities and older people. Staff received on-going support through handovers and staff meetings. Staff commented they felt valued, supported and could approach management with any concerns. One staff member told us, “I feel valued as an employee of Cristos.”

People were cared for, or supported by, sufficient numbers of suitably qualified and experienced staff. Robust recruitment and selection procedures were in place and appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work.

People’s medicines were stored safely and in line with legal regulations. People told us they received their medication on time. Staff were confident in medication administration and demonstrated a sound awareness of the importance of monitoring for any side effects of medicines.

There was a friendly, relaxed atmosphere at the home. There was an open and honest culture within the home. Staff had a clear understanding of the vision and philosophy of the home. Staff spoke passionately about how Cristos was a family home with ‘family values’ embedded into care practice.