During an assessment under our new approach
Date of assessment 13 May to 24 May with onsite visit undertaken on 13 May.
St Anthony’s is a residential care service providing personal care for 22 people. Some people were living with dementia. At the time of our inspection, all 22 people using the service were living with dementia.
This assessment was completed due to the length of time since the care home was registered with CQC.
We identified one breach of the legal regulations in relation to governance.
We assessed the quality statements from all the key questions; safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. We also assessed the service against our ‘Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. People and relatives told us they felt safe and valued the strong relationships staff had built with them. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of safeguarding and consent, and people were treated with dignity, respect and compassion. Care was person-centred, and people were supported to maintain their independence, make choices and take part in activities that mattered to them. Partnerships with external professionals were effective, and people benefitted from good access to healthcare and coordinated support.
However, some aspects of safety and governance required improvement. Systems for monitoring and oversight were not always effective in identifying risks, including gaps in medicines management, risk assessments and staff training. Care records and care plans were not always fully up to date, which reduced assurance that information was consistently available to staff. Environmental issues were identified, including food hygiene concerns and delays in completing external risk assessments, although leaders took prompt action when these were highlighted. There were also gaps in supervision records and evidence of appraisal during the inspection.
Despite these shortfalls, the service had a positive and inclusive culture, with staff feeling supported and leaders described as approachable and responsive.