Background to this inspection
Updated
1 June 2016
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.
This unannounced inspection took place on 26 April 2016. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.
We requested and were provided with 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.
During the inspection we spoke with six people who were able to express their views about living at St Elizabeth Care Home and five visiting relatives. We spoke with a visiting health professional during the inspection visit. Prior to the inspection visit we spoke with the local quality assurance and safeguarding authority about the service.
We looked around the service and observed care and support being provided by staff. We looked at the care and support records for three people living at the service. We looked at three records relating to staff recruitment, staff duty rosters, staff training records and records relating to the running of the service.
Updated
1 June 2016
We carried out this unannounced inspection of St Elizabeth Care Home on 26 April 2016. St Elizabeth Care Home provides residential care for up to 17 people. On the day of the inspection there were 14 people using the service. The service was last inspected in February 2014 and met the requirements of the regulations.
The service had a registered manager in post. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
On the day of the inspection visit there was a calm and relaxed atmosphere in the service. We observed people had a good relationship with staff and supported people in a caring and respectful way. People were being cared for by competent and experienced staff. A family member told us, “I visit most days and am always made to feel welcome. I feel very happy with the support (person’s name) gets here”.
Staff understood the needs of people they supported, so they could respond to them effectively. All spoke positively about the staff and the registered manager and felt their needs were being met. Comments included, “It’s a lovely place to live. The staff are all very kind and always have a cheery word, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else” and “I couldn’t think of a nicer place to live. The staff are very considerate and patient”.
The service had safe arrangements for the management, storage and administration of medicines and people received their medicines as prescribed. Regular medicines audits were taking place to identify if any errors occurred.
Staff supported people to be involved in and make decisions about their daily lives. If people did not have the capacity to make certain decisions the service had systems in place to act in accordance with legal requirements under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. This was to protect people and uphold their rights.
People were able to take part in a range of activities of their choice. On the day of the inspection visit people were enjoying an entertainer who was singing. Some people got up to dance and told us they were really enjoying it. When people wanted to stay in their rooms this was respected by staff.
There were safe recruitment procedures to show staff were suitable and safe to work in a care environment, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. The recruitment process identified applicants had the appropriate skills and knowledge needed to provide care to meet people’s needs.
People were protected from the risk of abuse because staff had received training to help them identify possible signs of abuse and knew what action they should take. Staff told us they supported people in a way that kept people safe.
Staff were supported by a system of induction training, supervision and appraisals. Staff meetings were held to share information and encourage staff to make suggestions regarding the running of the service. Training courses had recently been reviewed to ensure staff had the knowledge and skills to carry out their roles.
People told us they knew how to complain and would be happy to speak with the registered manager if they had any concerns.
There were a variety of methods in use to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included satisfaction surveys for people using the service and their relatives as well as the staff team. Overall satisfaction with the service was positive and results of the most recent survey were available for people to view at various entry points to the service.
People using the service and visitors all described the management of the service as open and approachable and thought people received a good service. Relatives told us, “We chose this home because we had heard really good reports about it and we have not been disappointed. (Persons name) has settled in really well” and “its run just like a family home. We always get asked if we are happy with everything. Very good all round”.
Equipment and supply services including electricity, fire systems and gas were being maintained.