The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: St Andrews House Exmouth

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

St Andrews Road, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 1AS (01395) 223737

Provided and run by:
Chapter 1 Charity Ltd

Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

23 March 2017

During a routine inspection

The home provides accommodation and personal care for up to six adults who require help with personal care. The home specialises in emergency, short and medium term respite for people with mental health issues. The accommodation is located in a converted church in Exmouth, within walking distance of both the sea and the town centre. On the same site, there are two other areas which provide supported living accommodation. Staff work across all three areas.

At the last comprehensive inspection in November 2014, the service was rated Good. This comprehensive inspection took place on 23 March 2017 and was unannounced. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The home had a registered manager who had registered with the Care Quality Commission in May 2016. 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 had been assessed when they started using the service. Risks to people and the environment were assessed and plans put in place to mitigate any identified risks. Care plans had been developed with the person’s involvement and described what staff needed to do in order to meet the person’s needs, risks and preferences. These were mostly reviewed regularly and if the person’s requirements altered. However, one care plan had not been updated for a person who received regular respite care.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to support people with their assessed needs.

People received care that met their needs from staff who were recruited safely and trained in their role. Staff were supervised in their role and received an annual appraisal to help their personal development. Staff were trained in safeguarding and had a good understanding of how to respond to safeguarding concerns.

Staff knew people well and showed kindness and compassion when working with them. Staff respected people’s right to privacy and ensured they maintained people’s dignity.

People were supported to have choice and control of their lives. Staff supported them to maintain their independence. Staff had been trained in the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and knew the implications of this when providing care for people. People were encouraged to do activities including those related to daily life, such as cooking. People were provided with a healthy and varied menu to meet their nutritional needs.

Policies and procedures were in place for staff to support people to take their medicines safely.

The home was well maintained. People were able to personalise their bedrooms. Friends and family were encouraged to visit without unreasonable restrictions.

There were quality assurance systems to monitor the running of the home. Records showed that where issues were identified these were addressed.

6 - 12 November 2014

During a routine inspection

We undertook an announced inspection of St Andrews House on 6 and 12 November 2014.

At our last inspection 27 November 2013 the service was meeting the regulations inspected.

St Andrews House is a five bedded unit situated on the ground floor of a converted church in central Exmouth. The service provides respite services, planned and emergency, as well as medium term stays for people with mental health issues. Three of these placements were for people who required a short stay of up to two weeks. The other two placements were for people who required a longer period of time. The service provides support so that people can develop skills to enable them to live independently. There were five people living at the service at the time of the inspection.

The service has a 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager was accessible and approachable. People who used the service and staff felt able to speak with the registered manager and said they were an active part of the team.

People said they felt safe at the service. People were kept safe and free from harm. The staff were aware of their responsibility to protect people from harm or abuse. They knew the action to take if they were concerned about the safety or welfare of a person. They said they would be confident reporting any concerns to the registered manager or provider’s representative.

There were safe systems when new staff were recruited. All new staff completed thorough training before working in the service and had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs. There were appropriate numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs.

People said they had been included in planning and agreeing to the support provided. People had individual support plans, detailing the support they needed and how they wanted this to be provided.

Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. The staff knew the people they were supporting well and enabled people to maintain their independence and control over their lives.

People said they enjoyed the choice of meals, snacks and drinks. People had been included in planning menus and their feedback had been listened to and acted on.

27 November 2013

During a routine inspection

At the time of our visit, the manager in post was in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission.

We found that people were treated with dignity and courtesy and that their consent was gained before any care was undertaken with them. We reviewed records which showed that people had been involved in developing their support plans and were offered a copy of them.

People who were there on respite told us that they enjoyed their stay at St Andrews House and had stayed there before on a regular basis for a number of years. They told us that 'they wouldn't have come back if it hadn't been so good!' and they 'saw it as a treat to come'. People who were there for a longer stay told us that staff had supported them to gain greater independence and were always friendly and helpful.

We observed staff acting professionally and calmly when a small fire broke out in a kitchen area, ensuring that everyone was safely evacuated from the building and then kept informed about what would happen next.

We saw that staff received regular supervision and annual appraisals. We also found that they were provided with training and development opportunities related to their role.

We observed that the house was well equipped and comfortable with people being able to contribute ideas on changes and improvements to decor, furniture and facilities.

We found that there was a complaints policy and procedure which was readily available, though had not been needed recently.

6 December 2012

During a routine inspection

St Andrews House was providing a service that was tailored to the needs and preferences of each person using the service. Support plans were goal orientated and focussed on supporting people to develop skills to enable them to live independently. People were supported to lead a healthy lifestyle and to take appropriate actions to have their physical health needs met.

People using this service felt safe and were confident that staff had the skills needed to safeguard them and to meet their needs. Staff training, supervision and annual appraisals were linked to ensuring that staff had the skills to meet people's needs.

Systems were in place to involve people meaningfully in the running and development of the service, and to assess quality and manage risk.

8 September 2011

During a routine inspection

We visited St Andrews House on 8 September 2011. At the time of our visit there were three people living in the residential part of the home. During our visit we talked to two people. They were completely satisfied with all aspects of the services they received. Comments included 'Very good here ' nothing's too much trouble!' and 'The staff team all work together well ' really good.' People also told us 'It's peaceful here.'

We also talked to the manager and two members of the staff team. They spoke positively about their work and about the organisation. We heard about effective communication systems within the home and a happy and supported staff team who worked well together to make sure people experienced consistent support.

People have been fully involved and consulted over their care plans. They told us about how good they felt each time they were able to tick off one of their goals as having been achieved, and to be able to set new goals.

The organisation has taken care to recruit experienced staff who were suitable for the job they have been employed for. However, the responsibility for gathering relevant checks and references was not clear, and this had resulted in some references not being obtained for a prospective member of staff. Following this inspection we received evidence from the service to show that this had been resolved and safe recruitment procedures were in place.

The new manager has not yet submitted an application for registration. He assured us he was in the process of completing the documentation and an application would be submitted in the very near future.