We carried out a review of the data available to us about Sovereign House on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Sovereign House, you can give feedback on this service.
Sovereign House is a large detached property with lift access to two floors. It’s located in Herne Bay and is a short walk from the beach and town centre. The service provides residential care and support for up to ten older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were nine people living at the service.
People’s experience of using this service
People and their relatives spoke positively about the service and said staff were very caring and supportive. Throughout our inspection we observed staff interacted well with people and had formed good relationships with them and their relatives.
There were safeguarding policies and procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these and how to keep people safe. People's needs, and preferences were assessed and risks were identified with plans in place to manage risks safely. Medicines were administered, stored and managed safely and staff followed infection control practices to prevent the spread of infections. Robust recruitment checks were in place and there were sufficient staff available to meet people's needs. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to support people appropriately. Staff were supported through induction, training and supervision.
People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet that met their dietary needs and preferences. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. People were involved in and consulted about their care and support needs. People had access to health and social care professionals as required. People were supported to participate in activities of their choosing. Staff worked with people to promote their rights and understood the Equality Act 2010.
There were effective systems in place to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the service. The service worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to plan and deliver an effective service. The service took people’s and staff’s views into account to help drive service improvements.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection: Good (published 8 August 2017).
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit in line with our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect the service sooner.
Sovereign House is a large detached property, with a lift to the first floor, set in its own grounds in Herne Bay. It is located two minutes’ walk from the beach and town centre and close to shops, cinema, theatre and post office. It is a privately owned service providing personal care and support for up to ten older people, some of whom may also be living with dementia. There were eight people living at the service at the time of the inspection.
Rating at last inspection
At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.
Rating at this inspection
At this inspection we found the service remained Good.
Why the service is rated Good
People told us they felt safe living at Sovereign House. Risks to people were identified, assessed and monitored to help keep people as safe as possible. People were protected from the risks of abuse and avoidable harm.
Recruitment checks were completed to make sure staff were honest, trustworthy and reliable and safe to work with people. There were enough staff on each shift to support people. People received effective care from staff who were experienced and had the knowledge and skills to carry out their roles.
People were supported to have as much choice and control of their lives as they wanted. Staff knew the importance of giving people choices and gaining people’s consent. Staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
Changes in people’s health were identified quickly and staff contacted people’s health care professionals for support. People’s medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines in the ways their healthcare professional had prescribed. People were offered a balanced diet and food they liked.
People told us they were happy living at Sovereign House. They said they were treated with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect. Their religious and cultural preferences were supported and respected. People’s confidentiality was respected and their records were stored securely.
People and their relatives were involved in planning their care and support. People received care and support that was individual to them and their needs and preferences. Staff knew people and their relatives well. Care plans gave staff the basic information they needed to provide people’s care and support. We have made a recommendation for the provider seek advice and guidance from a reputable source to further enhance the care plans.
People had enough to do during the day and were supported to follow their interests and take part in social activities. People maintained friendships and relationships.
People and their relatives knew how to complain or raise concerns. The provider’s complaints procedure was given to people as part of the service user guide when they moved into Sovereign House. People had no complaints.
People, their relatives and staff felt the service was well-led. The provider and registered manager had a clear vision of the quality of service they required staff to provide and this was shared by the staff team. Staff had confidence in the management team and said they felt supported.
People, their relatives, staff and health professionals were encouraged to provide feedback and were involved in developing the service. Regular and effective audits were completed. Action was taken when shortfalls were identified. Notifications had been submitted to CQC in line with guidance.
We carried out this unannounced inspection on 22 and 24 October 2014.
Sovereign House is a large detached property set in its own grounds. It is a privately owned service providing personal care and support to up to ten older people some of whom are living with dementia. There were nine people receiving support and care at the time of the inspection. People spoke highly of the registered manager and the staff throughout the day, with comments such as “I have no worries about living here, the people are very nice”; “It is a lovely home, they are so nice here” and “I feel safe living here, there is always someone around”. Staff were available throughout the day, and responded quickly to people’s requests for help. Staff interacted well with people, and supported them when they needed it.
The provider organisation is a partnership and one of the partners is the registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager was present for part of the inspection on the 22 October 2014 and for the completion of the inspection on the 24 October 2014.
CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The registered manager and staff showed that they understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Seven of the people in the home had been assessed as lacking mental capacity, and there were clear records to show who their representatives were, in order to act on their behalf if complex decisions were needed about their care and treatment.
There were enough staff to make sure that people’s needs were met. Staff had been trained in how to protect people, and discussions with them confirmed that they knew the action to take in the event of any suspicion of abuse. Staff understood the whistle blowing policy. They were confident they could raise any concerns with the registered manager or outside agencies if this was needed.
People and their relatives told us that they were involved in their care planning, and that staff supported them in making arrangements to meet their health needs. Visitors said they felt able to talk to staff if there were any problems and people said if they wanted something or were unsure about anything they would ask “one of the lovely girls”.
There were risk assessments in place for the environment, and for each individual person who received care, although not all risk assessments had been updated. Assessments identified people’s specific needs, and showed how risks could be minimised. There were systems in place to review accidents and incidents and make any relevant improvements as a result.
People were provided with a nutritious diet. Comments from people included “I have always been a bit fussy with food, but it is really good and plenty of it” and “The food is very good and if you don’t like it, you leave it and they will give you something else”.
Medicines were managed and administered safely. People received their medicines on time.
People were given individual support to take part in their preferred hobbies and interests, such as playing cards and knitting. One person talked about going out to the local shops. The premises included a garden which was accessible and was used for summer events and relaxation.
There were systems in place to obtain people’s views about the service. These included formal and informal meetings; events; questionnaires; and daily contact with the registered manager and staff. People said that the registered manager was “Friendly and approachable.”
Recruitment checks were completed and staff files contained the required recruitment information. New staff were taken through a staff induction programme which included basic training subjects. They worked alongside other staff until they had been assessed as being able to work on their own. There were systems in place for ongoing staff training; and for staff one to one meetings and support.
Staff respected people and we saw several instances of a kindly touch or a joke and conversation as drinks or meals were being served.
There were formal processes for actively involving people in making decisions about their care and treatment. The registered manager investigated and responded to people’s complaints, according to the provider’s complaints procedure. People felt able to raise any concerns with staff or the management.
The quality of the service was regularly reviewed. Meetings held regularly gave people the opportunity to comment on the quality of the service. People were listened to and their views were taken into account in the way the service was run.
One person said 'I am very happy here. The staff are so kind. They look after me well.' Another person said 'I am quite happy. The staff are very good.'
A visitor told us '(Our relative) is happy here. We have no complaints. They always keep us informed and make us feel welcome when we visit.' Another visitor said 'This is a lovely place. It lifts your heart when you walk in here.'
People said that they were happy with their bedrooms and facilities. People told us that the food was very good and that they always had a choice of meals. People said that enjoyed the organised activities.
People's health and personal care needs were supported and the service worked closely with health and social care professionals to maintain and improve people's health and well-being. People were treated with dignity and respect and the service responded to people's changing needs.
Checks were made on staff, as part of the recruitment process, to make sure that people were safe and supported by appropriate staff. The service was well managed and was safe and well maintained.
People told us or expressed that they felt safe and well looked after. They said that the staff were kind and caring.
People said they could talk about any problems to the manager and to the other staff. People said that they would be listened to and any problem would be sorted out.
People looked happy and relaxed in the company of each other and staff. People said 'I would not like to be anywhere else'.
People said that the home was clean and that their bedrooms were kept clean.
People told us that the food was good. People said 'It is quite nice food. The cook is very good' and 'We have very good food'.
One person told us 'They (staff) are very good to me. I have a very nice room. The staff are very good, very helpful'.
Another person said 'I am very happy here. The staff are very kind and the food is lovely'. They said 'The girls (staff) are very nice. Everyone is very kind'.
Everyone we spoke to said that the food was good or very good. One person said 'You get a choice. The manager is lovely, I have no complaints'.
People told us that they felt safe and that they thought there were enough staff.
One person said 'Yes there are enough staff. They are always there when you need them'.
Another person said 'If you want anything you ring your bell and they (staff) come quickly. In the middle of the night, I ring down and they come straight up with a drink for me'.
People told us that they received the help and care they needed, but that they were also encouraged to do things for themselves to stay independent. One person told us that the staff 'always ask me what help I need'. They told us that the staff gave them their medicines at the right time were quick to arrange appointments on their behalf with their GP or other health professionals when they needed them. People told us that there were enough staff to meet their needs and that they liked the staff. One person said 'the staff really look after us well'. Everyone we spoke with said they were happy with the facilities in the home and comments included 'My room is very comfortable' and 'I am very happy here, you can choose to go to your own room or spend time in the lounge'.