12 May 2023
During an inspection looking at part of the service
About the service
St Augustine's Care Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 52 people. The service provides support to people living with physical and mental health related care needs, older people and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 42 people using the service. The home is divided into four units, A, B, C and D. Unit B specialises in providing care to people living with dementia. The service places a strong emphasis on the teachings of the Catholic Church with support also being provided by the religious sisters who live in the adjoining convent. People have access to the on-site chapel.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People’s records were not always consistent, up to date and detailed enough to ensure staff had clear guidance on all of the individual needs and risks. People received safe care as staff knew them well and the management ensured there were robust handovers and summary records available. The provider did not always effectively manage infection outbreaks and infection prevention and control in the home.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. However, appropriate applications for deprivation of liberty when people required constant supervision and could not leave the home on their own were not always in place. People’s consent for care was not always appropriately recorded.
The provider did not always have fully embedded and effective governance systems in place. Some improvements had been achieved in recent months, for example, around staff training, recruitment and management of medicines. However, other identified shortfalls had not been successfully addressed yet and there was limited assurance around how the management team maintained an effective oversight of the quality and safety of people’s care.
There were enough staff to support people safely and new staff had to undergo a range of checks to ensure their suitability. People and their relatives told us they felt the home was safe. Staff knew how to raise concerns and felt able to speak up when needed. People received safe support with medicines and eating and drinking.
Staff supported people in person-centred way. People were encouraged to do what they liked. Staff knew their individual preferences, wishes and lifestyle choices and provided care in a respectful and caring way.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 02 February 2023 and this is the first inspection.
The last rating for the service under the previous provider was requires improvement, published on 03 February 2023.
Why we inspected
We undertook a targeted inspection to follow up on specific concerns which we had received about the service. The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about infection prevention and control. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
We inspected and found there was a concern with the provider’s response to an outbreak of an infection in the home, so we widened the scope of the inspection to become a comprehensive inspection which included all 5 key questions.
Enforcement and Recommendations
We have identified breaches in relation to infection prevention and control and governance at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.