St Peters Care Home

We found the following examples of good practice.

Measures were in place to ensure staff and visitors were protected from spreading infection. Staff and visitors had to sanitise their hands, put on face mask and were asked to complete Lateral Flow Device test (LFD) to ensure they were not infectious prior to entering the home.

During the COVID-19 outbreak people were asked to self-isolate in their bedrooms. People who had completed their period of isolation were able to access communal areas if they wished.

Throughout the pandemic some staff had volunteered to temporarily move into the home to ensure safe staffing levels were maintained at all times. Staff had monitored people's physical health; this included checking their temperatures and general symptoms of COVID-19

Indoor visits were restricted to only see people who were at the end of their life and relatives followed the same infection control procedures that staff did.

Relatives were kept informed via telephone and email about people's health, care and welfare needs.

Staff were provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, aprons, and face coverings. The home had adequate supplies of PPE and we saw staff wearing PPE appropriately.

Hand sanitising stations were located outside person’s bedroom and in key areas of the home and were easily accessible for staff.

Regular testing was in place for people living at the home and staff who worked there.

The home was clean and uncluttered. The cleaning schedules had been regularly completed and audited. Regular cleaning of high touch points such as door handles and handrails were completed.

[St Peters] is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. (The care home) accommodates 38 people in one adapted building. There were 33 people receiving care and support at the home at the time of our visit.

The service was last inspected 15 October 2015 and the rating for that inspection was Good.

Since the last inspection 15 October 2015 there has been a new registered manager recruited and the home has increased its bed numbers from 18 to 38.

There was a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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.

People continued to feel safe. Risks were assessed and managed. There was sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Safe recruitment was followed to ensure suitable staff were employed.

Medicines were managed and stored safely. Arrangements were in place to make sure the premises were clean. Staff had completed relevant hygiene training. Incidents and accidents were reported and managed.

People continued to have their needs assessed. Staff received training to ensure they had appropriate skills to carry out their roles. People were supported to have sufficient amounts to eat and drink. People were supported to receive care across different services. People were involved in regular monitoring of their health and wellbeing. People were consulted about decisions about their environment. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supporte0d them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

People were supported by staff who were very kind and compassionate. People were treated with respect and dignity. They had an excellent relationship with the staff, who had a strong emphasis on supporting people’s diverse needs. People experienced positive compassionate care that went above and beyond to ensure people felt at home. Relatives were positive about the care people received. The service used alternative methods to support family to stay in contact if they were unable to visit the home.

People continued to receive personalised care that met their needs. Concerns and complaints were listened and responded to. Discussions took place to support people at their end of life.

Systems and procedures were in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided. There was a registered manager in post. Staff were supported to raise concerns and use the whistleblowing policy. Information systems were used effectively to monitor the quality of care.

The service worked in partnership with other organisations including the local authority, safeguarding and CQC.

One person using the service told us they were well looked after and that staff made them feel safe. Another person using the service told us staff were pleasant and kind.

One relative of a person using the service told us they had visited a number of homes and their relative had chosen St. Peter's because it was small and friendly and the staff provided such good care for people. Another relative of a person using the service told us they had found it difficult to accept their relative's dementia diagnosis but staff at the home had helped them understand more about the condition and had been kind and understanding towards the whole family.

We found that there were arrangements in place to assess and provide care which met people's needs. We also found that people received adequate nutrition and hydration and there were processes in place to protect people against the risk of healthcare associated infection. Staff told us they were well supported with training and supervision.