St Marys Mount

Updated 2 April 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was conducted by one inspector and an Expert by Experience with experience of care of older people and those living with dementia. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type:

St Mary’s Mount is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection: The inspection was unannounced.

What we did:

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse; and we sought feedback from the local authority. We assessed the information in the provider information return. This is key information providers are required to send us about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During the inspection, we spoke with four people who used the service, to ask about their experience of the care provided and two visiting families. We observed staff providing support to people in the communal areas of the service. This was so we could understand people's experiences. By observing the care received, we could determine whether they were comfortable with the support they were provided with.

We spoke with seven members of staff including care staff, a housekeeper, a laundry assistant, a chef and an activities coordinator. We also spoke with the registered manager, two visiting health professionals and a visiting hairdresser.

We reviewed a range of records about people's care and how the service was managed. This included looking at three people's care records and a sample of people’s medicines administration records. We reviewed records of meetings, staff rotas and staff training records. We also reviewed the records of accidents, incidents, complaints and quality assurance audits the management team had completed.

Updated 2 April 2019

About the service: St Mary’s Mount is a residential care home that was providing personal care to 30 people older people, some of whom were living with dementia, at the time of the inspection. Accommodation was provided on two floors with a lift to the upper floor. The home was set in large grounds with a range of outdoor facilities including a large lawn area.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they were happy living at St Mary’s Mount and were happy with the service they received. People visiting the service said the home had a family atmosphere and told us people were engaged in activities they enjoyed on an ongoing basis.

Processes were in place to protect people from avoidable harm and abuse. Staff were aware of their responsibilities in relation to this and were clear about the way to escalate any concerns they identified. When accidents or incidents occurred, learning was identified to reduce the risk of them happening again. Sufficient staff were available to provide a timely response to people and provide safe care. People received their medicines as prescribed and medicines were managed safely.

People continued to receive effective care. Staff were well trained and were given regular opportunities to review their work and identify their learning and development needs. Staff supported people to access healthcare services when needed and liaised well with other professionals to provide coordinated care. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; policies and systems supported this practice. Consent to care was obtained in line with legislation.

People were treated with kindness and sensitivity. Staff knew people well and used this knowledge to provide reassurance when people were anxious or distressed. They were responsive to people’s individual needs and wishes and the service was provided flexibly. People were involved as much as possible in decisions about their care. People were supported to access services outside the home and links with the local community were well developed.

The service continued to be well led. Roles and responsibilities were clear and staff were proud of the service they provided. Systems were in place to monitor and improve the quality of care. People were encouraged to be involved and given opportunities to provide feedback and put forward their ideas for the service.

Rating at last inspection: Good (Inspection report published in July 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk