Archived: The Old Vicarage

The Old Vicarage provides accommodation for up to nineteen people who need assistance with their personal care. The service provides support to older people and to older people living with dementia. The home has thirteen single bedrooms and three double rooms that two people can choose to share. Communal space is provided in the form of a sitting room, dining room and conservatory.

The home provides full time, permanent accommodation and respite care for people who would benefit from a short period of residential care.

There was a registered manager employed at the home. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Everyone we spoke with told us that people were well cared for in this home and said they would recommend it to other people.

The staff were caring and patient and knew people in the home well. People were included in decisions about their care and the decisions they made were respected.

The staff were well trained and knew how to keep people safe.

People were provided with a range of activities that they enjoyed. They chose whether to take part in activities and their wishes were respected.

Visitors were made welcome in the home and people could see their friends and relatives as they wanted.

People received their medicines as they needed and were supported to receive appropriate health care.

People were provided with meals and drinks that they enjoyed.

The home was well managed. The registered manager was supported by a care manager and senior care staff. People knew the registered manager and care manager and could speak to them if they had any concerns about their care.

The registered manager was knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how to protect people’s rights.

The home was clean and free from odour. The registered manager had a plan for the continued maintenance and improvement of the environment. However, the surfaces of the walls and floor in the laundry area were permeable which would make them difficult to clean thoroughly.

We have made a recommendation about maintaining hygiene standards in the home’s laundry area.

We carried out a focussed inspection to check if improvements we had told the provider to make had been completed. We spoke with people who lived in the home in private and in small groups in the communal areas of the building. We also spoke in private with the staff who were on duty. We looked around the communal areas of the home.

We considered our inspection findings to answer questions we always ask;

' Is the service safe?

' Is the service effective?

' Is the service caring?

' Is the service responsive?

' Is the service well-led?

This is a summary of what we found '

Is the service safe?

Everyone we spoke with told us that they felt safe living at The Old Vicarage. One person told us, 'There's been a lot of work going on in the home to make sure we are safe and comfortable'.

At this inspection we saw that improvements had been carried out at the home to ensure the safety of the people who lived there. A new fire detection system was being installed to reduce the risk to people in the event of a fire. The downstairs bathroom had been repaired to ensure it was safe and comfortable for people to use.

The staff we spoke with showed that they followed safe procedures to ensure people were protected when using the bathroom. They said they always checked the temperature of the bath water to ensure people were not at risk of being scalded.

We saw that the premises were secure, so people were protected from the risk of intrusion.

The home had appropriate policies and procedures regarding The Mental Capacity Act 2005 deprivation of liberty safeguards. The registered manager of the home had taken appropriate specialist advice to ensure they acted within the law. This meant people could be confident that their rights would be protected.

Is the service effective?

People told us they were happy living at The Old Vicarage. They told us they made choices about their lives in the home and said the staff respected the decisions they made.

We saw that people chose where they spent their time in the home. Some people chose to spend time in their own rooms and other people preferred to use the communal areas. The home had a range of communal areas which meant people could choose where to see their visitors and whether to take part in the activities provided.

The bathroom on the ground floor of the home had been repaired since our last inspection in February 2014. This meant people could choose whether to use the bathroom on the first floor or the downstairs bathroom.

The home was clean and free from any odour. We saw that new flooring had been laid in the dining room to ensure people were provided with clean and comfortable place to take their meals.

Care plans were in place which showed the support people required and how they wanted this to be provided. The care plans included the tasks that individuals could manage themselves as well as the support that they needed from the staff in the home. This ensured people retained their independence, as far as they were able.

Is the service caring?

People told us they were well cared for at The Old Vicarage. They made many positive comments about the staff who worked in the home.

We saw the staff had developed positive relationships with the people who lived in the home and took the time to talk with people as they carried out their duties. One person told us, 'You can have a laugh with the staff, I like that, they are all lovely, very kind'.

We spoke with a member of the care staff in private. They showed they knew the actions to take to ensure people's privacy and dignity were protected. We saw that people were treated with respect and given choices about their lives.

Is the service responsive?

People told us that they made choices about their lives and said the staff in the home respected the decisions they made. One person told us they liked to spend some time in their own room but enjoyed taking their meals in the communal dining room. Another person said they enjoyed taking part in group activities in the communal areas. Everyone we spoke with said the staff in the home respected the decisions they made.

During our observations we saw that people were treated with respect and given choices about their daily lives. The staff we spoke with showed that they knew people's preferences about their lives and how they wanted to be supported.

Is the service well-led?

We carried out this inspection to check if improvements we had told the registered provider and registered manager to carry out had been completed.

We saw that there had been significant investment in the home to ensure people were provided with a safe and comfortable home to live in. The registered manager of the home also told us about further improvements that were planned to the environment.

One person we spoke with commented on the improvements to the premises and said, 'There's been lots of work going on to make sure were are safe and comfortable'.

The staff in the home showed they were committed to providing people with a good quality of service which met their needs. One staff member told us, 'I want this to be an excellent service'.

People told us the staff employed in the home were 'lovely' and said,

'The girls are very kind' and 'We are well looked after'.

No-one we spoke with raised any concerns about the care provided in this home. People told us they had never seen or heard anything in the home which had caused them concern.

People were provided with a range of activities which took account of their interests and their needs.

We saw that the staff were knowledgeable about the support people needed and their preferences about their care and their lives. The staff we spoke with said they were confident people were well cared for at The Old Vicarage. One staff member told us, 'I'm proud of this home'.

People told us that they were happy living at The Old Vicarage. They said they liked their own rooms and had been able to bring their own possessions into the home to personalise their bedrooms as they wished.

We saw that some areas of the home required maintenance and repair. We found that a bathroom on the ground floor of the home had not been adequately maintained. This meant people were not provided with a safe and comfortable environment in which to live.

People told us,

'The staff are very pleasant',

'I like my room, I keep to myself but do enjoy going through to join in some of the activities', and said one person said,

"The staff know what I like but they always ask me what I want.'

Some of the people who lived in the home could not easily express their views about the service or their preferences about their care. We observed people in communal areas and saw that people were treated with respect and were given choices about their lives. People were well cared for and comfortable and confident around the staff working in the home.