Archived: St Bridget's Care Home

Updated 13 September 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 inspection took place on 4 August 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location was a small care home for adults who are often out during the day and we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

This inspection was carried out by one Adult Social Care inspector.

Prior to the inspection we reviewed the records held on the service. This included the Provider Information Return (PIR) which is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed notifications about the service. Notifications are specific events registered people have to tell us about by law.

During the inspection we looked around the premises, spoke with two people who lived at the service and one relative. We also spoke with the registered manager and two staff. We looked at three care records, personnel files and a range of policies and procedures. After the inspection we contacted two health care professionals who had knowledge of the service, to obtain their feedback about the quality of care provided.

Updated 13 September 2016

This inspection took place on 4 August 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice. This was because there were only three people living at the service and we needed to be sure somebody would be in to speak with us.

St Bridget’s is a small, family run residential care home that provides care for people who have a learning disability. The home can accommodate up to five people. At the time of the inspection there were three people living at the service.

There was 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..

We observed positive and caring interactions between people, the registered manager and staff. The registered manager and staff knew the people they cared for well and spoke about them with warmth, fondness and affection. One staff member told us; “We want the best for people”.

People’s care plans were detailed documents which contained information about their background, history, like and dislikes. Staff confirmed that the care plans contained the correct guidance and information in order to support people.

People enjoyed the meals. They told us they were of sufficient quality and quantity and there were alternatives on offer for people to choose from. People were involved in planning the menus and their feedback on the food was sought.

People had their healthcare needs met. For example, people told us they had their medicines as prescribed and on time. People were supported to see a range of healthcare professionals including psychologists, doctors and social workers, when necessary. People were kept cognitively and socially engaged through a range of activities, both at home and in the local area; these included attending day centres and going on holidays.

The registered manager and staff had received training relevant to their role and there was a system in place to remind them when it was due to be renewed or refreshed.

Staff were knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act and how this applied to their role. People at the service had capacity to make decisions for themselves, but staff were knowledgeable about what action they would need to take if this changed and had received training in this area. People were involved in planning their care and their consent was sought prior to being provided with any assistance.

There was a safeguarding adults policy in place at the service and staff had undergone training on this subject. The registered manager and staff confidently described how they would recognise and report any signs of abuse, including which external agencies they would contact if required. There was a whistleblowing policy in place and the registered manager promoted an ethos of openness and honesty at the service.

People, staff and relatives were encouraged to give feedback through a variety of forums including team meetings and residents’ meetings. This feedback was used to drive improvements within the service. There was a system in place for receiving and managing complaints. People and relatives said they felt confident that if they raised concerns these would be dealt with to their satisfaction. The registered manager operated an annual cycle of quality assurance and there were audits and checks in place to detect any issues and make changes if required.