St Joseph's Nursing Home

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery

This service scored 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

People and their relatives told us their care was delivered in line with their individual needs. Staff knew people well including their likes and dislikes. A staff member said, “Spending time with residents, to provide companionship, supporting them with activities they enjoy, assisting with personal requests beyond routine care. These actions help residents feel valued and respected.”

The newsletter included a case study that staff completed and sent to people, relatives, and other staff. The social wellbeing coordinator recorded a case study titled ‘Room to Rhythm.’ It highlighted a person’s reluctance to engage in activities. The staff member began by visiting the person’s room to build trust and friendship. As a result, the person now attends and enjoys activities and events.

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

Permanent staff supported people, and the service used agency staff only minimally. The registered manager considered staff skills, competencies, and experience when allocating duties, ensuring people were cared for by staff with the right knowledge and confidence to meet their needs. A staff member told us, “Here residents are likely to see familiar faces, all permanent staff and not agency and even the 1 to 1’s they send the same faces.”

Records clearly documented the input of health and social care professionals involved in a person’s care and treatment. Staff shared this up-to-date information between professionals and services to promote safe and effective care. A healthcare professional told us, “[Deputy manager] has always shown a good understanding of their patient’s needs without having to refer to care plans (as in other homes). They are spontaneous and thorough during an assessment of needs, giving detailed and informed answers about those in their care.”

This approach demonstrated strong partnership working and a commitment to delivering care that was well-coordinated and responsive to people’s changing needs.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

The service complied with the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) by identifying, recording, sharing, and meeting the communication and information needs of people using the service. A policy was in place to guide staff in recognising and addressing diverse communication requirements, ensuring people could access information in a way that suited them.

Staff assessed communication needs before admission and reviewed them regularly. Staff used a range of tools and strategies to support people with sensory impairments or communication difficulties, including picture boards, picture cards, and visual prompts. Information was available in accessible formats such as large print, easy-read versions, and alternative languages where required.

Staff demonstrated an understanding of how to adapt communication styles to meet individual needs, using clear, simple language and offering reassurance when necessary. A staff member told us, “I always make sure the carers put their hearing aids if they have and eyeglasses so that it helps them. We have residents with dementia, and we are always observing their non-verbal clues such as facial expressions and eye contact and touch. We are using visual communication with charts or board in order for them to write and able to express their needs.”

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

The provider had a complaints procedure in place to promptly respond to any issues. We saw where complaints had been made these had been responded to and resolved.

People and relatives told us they attended meeting’s and received a newsletter monthly. The newsletter contained any updates and a QR code link to relative and friends survey. A person told us, “Staff print me a newsletter which shows what’s going on, it’s nice because it makes you feel included.”

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

People were supported to have access to health and social care professionals and services as and when required. A relative said, “Nursing staff went with him twice to the hospital in the last 4 months, they called the ambulance.” People were able to maintain links with community activities, places and people that were important to them.

Care records showed staff made referrals to a variety of professionals when required, such as dietitians, physiotherapists, and palliative care teams. During our visit, we observed people using the equipment they needed.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

The staff were alert to discrimination and inequality that could disadvantage different groups of people using their services. People’s outcomes were positive, however as recorded in the safe section’s improvements were needed to monitoring charts to ensure outcomes were sustained.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

Care plans showed clinical outcomes and plans, but staff needed to do more to record people’s preferences and wishes. The registered manager explained, “We have advanced care planning, but some families do not want to talk about it. We are going to introduce a focused end-of-life care plan to make sure we do not miss the opportunity to capture people’s wishes. This template will focus more on comfort care.”