Archived: St George's Witham Nursing Home

St George’s Nursing Home provides accommodation with personal and nursing care for up to 40 older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. The service accommodates people across two floors, which has separate adapted facilities.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were respected by staff and valued as individuals. They were considered as being partners in their care. People, their family members and visiting health professionals, described the service people exceptional. People experienced exceptionally compassionate and kind care. They described the service as being, "Outstanding" and "Marvellous," and "Overwhelmingly responsive."

Staff knew how to recognise and report any suspicions of abuse, and people told us they felt safe and cared for. The registered manager had a robust recruitment process.

Staff was well supported and encouraged by the registered manager to develop their skills and knowledge. Accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded and investigated. Detailed risk assessments were in place for people who used the service. People’s medicines were managed safely, and staff members understood their responsibilities.

There was enough staff available to meet people’s assessed needs. Staff were responsive to people’s needs, enjoyed their work and worked well as a team.

People were supported to have as much choice and control over their lives and were supported in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems in the service support this practice.

The registered manager and staff involved people to make decisions about the service they received and obtained people’s feedback on how the service should be run. People told us that staff understood their needs and preferences well, and they received effective care and support from well-trained staff.

Staff had developed caring relationships with the people they supported. Family members told us there was a positive atmosphere and people were encouraged to take part in stimulating and meaningful activities.

People who used the service, family members, and visitors were encouraged to make comments, complaints, or compliments about the service.

The quality of the service was monitored and assessed consistently. Regular audits and improvements were carried out when these were needed. The registered manager gathered people’s views and used this information to look at ways they could continuously improve the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: (and update) The last rating for this service was Good (5 June 2017)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up We will continue to monitor the information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

The registered manager was present during our inspection. 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.

There were enough staff on shift to meet the needs of people who used the service. People were supported to have as much choice and control over their lives and were supported in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Staff understood how to keep people safe and could describe the correct steps they would take if they were concerned that abuse had taken place. Accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded and investigated. Risk assessments were in place for people who used the service.

The registered manager and staff involved people to make decisions about the service they received and obtained people’s feedback on how the service should be run. People told us that staff understood their needs and preferences well, and they received effective care and support from well-trained staff.

Staff had developed caring relationships with the people they supported. Family members told us there was a positive atmosphere and people were encouraged to take part in stimulating and meaningful activities.

Medicines were managed safely and staff members understood their responsibilities.

The registered manager undertook regular audits and improvements were carried out when these were needed. The quality of the service was monitored and assessed consistently. The registered manager gathered people’s views and used this information to look at ways they could continuously improve the service.

People who used the service, family members, and visitors were encouraged to make comments, complaints, or compliments about the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

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We spoke with three people who lived at the home and one visitor. We were not able to speak with some of the other people due to their needs. One person said to us, "It's really marvellous the way you get looked after here." The visitor to the home commented, "I think this is a lovely home." Nobody we spoke with had any complaints about the service. We observed the care and attention people received from staff. All interactions we saw were appropriate, respectful and friendly.

The accommodation was adapted to meet the needs of the people living there, was suited to caring for people with limited mobility and was properly maintained. Risks to people living in the home had been assessed. The home was warm, clean and was personalised to the people who lived there.

People were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent it from happening.

We saw that people's support plans and risk assessments reflected their needs and were up to date. Staff we spoke with were aware of the contents of the care plans, which enabled them to deliver safe care in line with those plans. The provider had systems in place that ensured the safe receipt, storage, administration and recording of medicines. Staff recruitment systems were robust.

We found that the service assessed people's needs and were able to demonstrate how they were meeting them, through effective care planning. Staff were employed in sufficient numbers and received appropriate training to meet people's needs.

The service had systems in place to ensure people received their medication in a safe way and their health care needs were met.

The service had a comprehensive quality assurance systems in place. This ensured they were able to measure the effectiveness of the service and make improvements where necessary.