St Catherines Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs. At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 68 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider did not always make sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they did not always work in partnership with people, to decide how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.Overall, people were positive about the care they received. Staff appeared to know people well and understood their individual needs. One person said, “I think the care plan is over there. If I want anything changing, I just ask but they know what I need and it runs smoothly enough” and “Sometimes I go to the room down there, or I like watching the snooker on TV.”

Since our last inspection, managers had ensured people’s care plans were reviewed and many had been re-written. Care plans now contained person-centred information to guide staff about the support people needed and were kept under review. Managers were undertaking care plan audits, which identified where further work was needed, this work was ongoing and needed to be embedded and sustained. ‘About me’ information was completed for some people to enable staff to understand their life histories and preferences, however, not all had been completed and these were in progress. Care plans indicated where people preferred to be supported by male or female staff, however, we saw 2 recent occasions where due to staff absences it would not have been possible for staff to fully respect this choice.

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.People benefitted from partnership working with commissioners, GPs and health professionals to ensure people’s needs were understood. A GP visited on a weekly basis to ensure people’s health needs were kept under review and people were referred to other professionals when needed. One person told us, “I can have a doctor if I need one.”

Peoples’ records included information about advice provided by other professionals, and this was kept under review. We spoke with a visiting professional who had reviewed a person’s care and support, and was generally positive about the information they had reviewed.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. However, some aspects needed to be fully implemented and embedded. The provider had an ‘Access to Information’ policy. People’s care plans contained information about their communication needs. The registered manager told us they ensured the daily menu was displayed in the dining room and confirmed they were further developing pictorial menus, to support people living with dementia, these needed to be implemented.

The registered manager told us people’s care plans could be printed out, if they wished to have a copy. The provider confirmed they were arranging for aspects of people’s electronic records to be made available for people and/or their relatives remotely, should they wish. This was through the system’s Gateway portal, which we were advised would be in place by October 2025.

Staff produced a monthly newsletter, and an activities programme was made available. One person told us, “They do have residents’ meetings, I am invited but I don’t go to them. They send me all the information on an email, and they have a Sparkle newsletter which I read.”

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result. Since our last inspection, managers had focused on providing better opportunities for people to share feedback and ideas. Feedback indicated people had seen some improvements and complaints were being addressed. The provider had a complaints policy, and the procedure was available for people to access. Since our previous inspection, managers were monitoring and auditing complaint records more robustly.

People's feedback was sought through meetings and surveys. Resident and relative meetings were now being held and were planned every 3 months. The minutes of the latest meeting were on display, as well as ‘You said, we did’ information, showing actions staff had taken in response to feedback. To support engagement with people and relatives, a weekly afternoon tea event was held. One person said, “Relatives are invited for the Friday afternoon tea. You can’t beat it.”

People and relatives commented, “They have meetings, and my daughters go to them as well. I mentioned about the table not being set when we go for a meal, and they sorted it out” and “Since [name], one of the senior managers has been involved, things have got better including the stuff I have mentioned and better toilets and other refurbishment about the place.”

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.People told us staff enabled them to access support when needed, such as by contacting their GP. Health and social care professionals visited the service when people were unable to attend appointments.

The provider was developing a proactive and positive culture of safety based on openness and honesty. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice.

The provider had made improvements since our last inspection to ensure staff recorded accidents and incidents. The registered manager undertook monthly audits to analyse these and to identify any themes or trends. Minutes from meetings, demonstrated lessons learnt and areas for improvement were discussed and shared with staff.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life. Care plans were in place to enable people to discuss and record their wishes. Staff had undertaken the ‘Six Steps to Success in End-of-Life Care’ program designed to offer high standards in the end-of-life care. The management team were looking to provide further training for staff.