All inspections: St Marks Nursing Home - Care Quality Commission

St Marks Nursing Home is a care home for 35 people with nursing and personal care needs, some of whom may be living with dementia. There were 32 people living at the home when we visited.

At the last comprehensive inspection on 30 July 2014, the service was rated Good overall. At that time we made a requirement relating to checks of staff to make sure they remained suitable to work in a care service. When we carried out a focused inspection in May 2015 we found improvements had been made but we were unable to change the rating at that time as we needed to see this was sustained. At this inspection we found the service remained Good and the improvements to staff checks had continued.

People felt safe and secure in the home. Any risks to people’s health and safety were assessed and managed. There were enough staff on duty to assist people in a timely way. The staff had been checked and vetted as suitable to work in care services. People’s medicines were managed in a safe way.

Staff felt well trained and competent in their roles. People and relatives said staff were good at their jobs. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. People said the meals were good and they were assisted with their nutritional well-being. The home made sure people had access to health services when they needed them.

People and relatives felt staff were helpful and friendly. They treated people with dignity and respect. People were encouraged to make their own daily choices and retain their independence.

People received care that was individual to their needs. Staff were familiar with people’s preferences and well-being. There was a range of activities for people to join in, both in the home and in the local community.

The registered provider and registered manager had run the home for many years. People felt the service was well-managed. There was an open culture in the home so people, relatives and staff felt able to comment on the service. The registered manager and staff carried out checks of the quality and safety of the service.

The service met the relevant fundamental standards we inspected and provided a homely environment for the people who lived and worked there.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 30 July 2014. A breach of legal requirements was found. After the comprehensive inspection, the provider wrote to us to say what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to the breach of regulation relating to the requirement relating to workers.

We undertook this focused inspection to check that they had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met the legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for St Marks Nursing Home Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

We found the provider had met the assurances they had given in their action plan and were no longer in breach of the regulations. The eight nurses employed by St Marks Nursing Home had all completed a disclosure and barring service (DBS) check satisfactorily. We saw from viewing records the staff files these had been successfully completed and recorded.

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 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.

St Marks Nursing Home is a purpose-built care home. It provides nursing and personal care for up to 35 people, some of whom have dementia care needs. There were 29 people living at the home when we visited. This was an unannounced inspection.

The home had a registered manager. 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.

During this inspection we found that the provider had not carried out recent checks to make sure nurses employed at the home were still registered to practice. On the day of this visit these checks were immediately carried out and were satisfactory. However, this delay meant that the home had not reviewed the continuing suitability of staff to carry out nursing care. This is a breach of Regulation 21 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations.

People were positive about the service they received. People and their relatives felt the care was safe. Most people felt they received the care they needed in a timely way. Relatives also felt there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs.

Staff were clear about how to recognise and report any suspicions of abuse. Staff told us they were confident that any concerns would be listened to and investigated to make sure people were protected.

Staff understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 for people who lacked capacity to make a decision. People’s safety was protected without compromising their rights to lead an independent lifestyle.

People and visitors had confidence in the skills of staff to meet people’s needs. Staff had the relevant training and support to care for people in the right way.

People told us they felt their privacy and dignity was respected. Staff were sensitive to people’s diverse needs.

People’s health care needs were continually assessed, and their care was planned and delivered in a consistent way. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s individual care needs.

People were supported to eat and drink enough to meet their nutrition and hydration needs. People had choices about what, where and when they ate their meals. There was a sociable atmosphere in the home and there were positive interactions between staff and the people who lived there.

People who used the service and their relatives felt the care was either “good” or “outstanding”. They said any changes in their health needs were referred to the relevant health care agencies. Health care professionals felt the home responded quickly to any changes in people’s needs.

People were asked for their views about the home and these were used to improve the service. People had information about how to make a complaint or comment and these were acted upon.

The provider had an effective system for checking the quality and safety of the service.

We found a breach of regulation in the requirements relating to workers. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

We spoke with seven people who used the service and six visitors to get their views of the service at St Mark's. All the people we spoke with were very positive about the care and support they had experienced.

We saw how people were supported with their care in a supportive and respectful way. One relative told us, 'The quality of the care here is very good.' We found care records had enough information so staff would be able to know how to support individual people in the right way.

People described the home as 'friendly' and 'busy.' They told us, 'There's always something going on if you want to join in.'

People were supported with their nutritional health. All the people and visitors we spoke with were complimentary about the meals. One person commented, 'The food is smashing. They know what you like and it's all good quality.'

People and their relatives told us they felt there were sufficient staff to support them. One person said, 'There always seems to be enough staff on. They answer the 'buzzers' quickly, and you can always find them if you need them.'

The provider had a system for checking the quality and safety of the service. People told us they knew how to make a complaint if necessary and were confident these would be dealt with.

We spent time with people and their visitors to get their views of the service at St Mark's. All the people we spoke with were very positive about the care and support they had experienced.

People told us they had 'plenty of information' about the home and showed us the detailed information pack in their rooms. One person told us, 'We got all the information we need in our bedrooms. You can ask the staff anything and they will sort it out.'

All the people we spoke with described the home as having a 'friendly' and 'family' atmosphere. People also felt that there was a good range of activities if they chose to join in. One person told us, 'They really look after me. The girls (staff) are so friendly and nice - I couldn't fault it.'

A visitor told us, 'It's smashing. I chose this one from a few others because it's got a lovely friendly feel, a nice room and plenty to do. It's a bit further for me to travel but it's worth it. I would recommend it to anyone ' you couldn't find a better place.'

All the people and visitors we spoke with felt that the home was a 'friendly' and 'safe' place.

People and their visitors were very positive in their comments about the accommodation. One person said, 'It's lovely. It's always spotlessly clean.'

All the people we spoke with felt that they had a 'nice' bedroom and we saw that people could spend time in their rooms whenever they wished. People told us they had been helped to make their own rooms individual and personalised.

People were very complimentary about the staff. A visiting relative commented, 'The lasses do everything that my relative needs, and they support the families too.' A visiting healthcare professional told us, 'The staff are always friendly and professional in their approach to other care agencies and the residents.'

People told us they were always asked for the views about the service and that their suggestions were acted on.

These older reports are from our old approaches to inspection, including those from before CQC was created.

Archived: St Marks Nursing Home

All Inspections

30 January 2017

During a routine inspection

23 April 2015

During an inspection looking at part of the service

30 July 2014

During a routine inspection

10 July 2013

During a routine inspection

2 May 2012

During a routine inspection

Reports under our old system of regulation