The Rectory Care Home

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

Everyone we spoke with said they felt safe living at The Rectory. We received consistently positive feedback from people using the service, their relatives and visiting professionals. Comments included, “Life here is pretty good. The staff are lovely and get to me quickly when I need them” and “I am safe as houses here”. Relatives and professionals told us, “The care home is fabulous, and the care is amazing” and “I have found this home and the staff to be inspiring and wish every home was so caring and well led”.

The registered manager and deputy had assessed the risks associated with people's care and support. Staff were knowledgeable about these risks and knew what to do to minimise the potential for harm. There were systems and processes in place at the home to ensure people were protected from harm and abuse.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and the provider supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the application of the policies and systems supported good practice. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and were caring and attentive.

The registered manager and staff team had good links with the local communities within which people lived. The service was very much part of the local community and neighbours told us what a great neighbour the service was.

The provider had effective systems in place to identify improvements and drive good care. The environment was safe. Effective health and safety checks were completed, and timely action taken to address any improvements. People's medicines were safely managed, pre-employment recruitment checks were undertaken and there were sufficient staff on duty.

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 (published 06 February 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

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.

The overall rating for the service has remained Good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for The Rectory on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Follow Up:

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

The Rectory Care Home is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The Rectory Care Home does not provide nursing care.

The home provides care to up to 25 people who are living with dementia. It is part of Somerset’s ‘Specialist Residential Care’ (SRC) provision and is supported by a specialist care development nurse from the local healthcare trust. At the time of the inspection there were 20 people living at the home.

There was a registered manager in post who was passionate about providing person centred care for people living with dementia. 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 staff placed high importance on ensuring people had opportunities for occupation that enhanced their enjoyment of life. People were animated and engaged throughout the day. There were opportunities for people to take part in activities and to access the local community.

People had access to a range of healthcare professionals to meet their needs. Staff worked in partnership with other organisation to make sure people received effective care and treatment when needed.

People’s nutritional needs were assessed and monitored and people received meals in accordance with their needs and preferences. One person said, “The food is very nice, if I ask for something I get it.” Another person said, “I always enjoy my food.”

Risks of abuse to people were minimised because the provider followed a safe recruitment procedure and made sure all staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns. People felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them. One person told us, “They [staff] are always very good to you.”

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People had care plans that made sure staff had good information about their needs and individual personalities and preferences. This enabled them to provide care that was tailored to each individual. Care plans were up dated when people’s needs or wishes changed. One person said, “I’ve needed more care recently, so they’ve been helping me more. They don’t make a fuss.”

The provider and registered manager were committed to on-going improvements to enhance people’s quality of life. There were ways for people to share their views and make suggestions about the running of the home. One person said, “You can talk to anyone here.” Suggestions were put into practice where practicable.