The Old Vicarage

Updated 17 January 2024

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by an inspector and an Expert by Experience. 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

The Old Vicarage is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. The Old Vicarage is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

Prior to the inspection we reviewed information and evidence we already held about the home, which had been collected via our ongoing monitoring of care services. This included notifications sent to us by the home. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that the provider is legally obliged to send to us without delay. We also asked for feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 7 people about the home and the care provided. We also spoke with 11 members of staff, which included the registered manager, general manager, deputy manager, care, activity and ancillary staff. We also spoke with 2 visiting professionals.

We looked at 4 people’s care plans and risk assessments. We also looked at medicines and associated records for 6 people. We reviewed a range of documentation which included, safety records and certification, supplementary charts, audit and governance information.

After the inspection

We requested and reviewed additional evidence from the provider. This included audit and governance information, staff rotas, evidence of involving people in their care and gathering staff views.

Updated 17 January 2024

About the service

The Old Vicarage is a family run residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 37 people aged 65 and over. The home is located approximately 2 miles from Bolton town centre. At the time of inspection 34 people were living at the home.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People felt safe living at The Old Vicarage. They spoke positively about the care they received, telling us staff were well trained, knew them well and how they wanted to be supported. Staff knew how to identify and report safeguarding concerns, though this was rarely required. Enough staff were deployed to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. A lot of the staff had worked at the home for many years, which ensured continuity in care. Accidents, incidents and falls had been documented along with actions taken. The home was clean with effective cleaning and infection control processes in place.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People and staff spoke positively about the home and how it was run. Each person we spoke with said they would recommend the home to others. People’s views were sought through meetings and annual surveys. A range of systems and processes were used to monitor the quality of the service provided. Action plans were created to help drive improvements. People described the registered manager as “pleasant”, “considerate” and “approachable”. The registered manager attended a number of local groups and meetings regarding both the home and the wider health and social care market, to help drive improvements. The provider offered placements at the home for trainee therapists and professionals to aid their learning about the home and care process. A range of audits and checks were completed to monitor the home and care provided.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for the service was good (published December 2017).

Why we inspected

We undertook this focused inspection to assess whether the current rating of good was still accurate. This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions safe and well-led, as these were the only key questions inspected. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last comprehensive inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings at this inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.