St Mary's Care Home

Updated 17 March 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice is safe and that services are compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 25 February 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours notice of the inspection.

Updated 17 March 2022

About the service

St. Mary’s Care Home provides personal and care and accommodation for up to 40 people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 38 people living in the home.

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

People felt very safe living in the home and with the support they received from staff. They were happy and spoke highly of staff members and the registered manager, describing them as “lovely”, “very good” and “very friendly.”

People were safeguarded from abuse. Risks to individuals and the environment were well managed. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and they were recruited in a safe way. The provider learned from previous accidents and incidents to reduce future risks. Arrangements were in place for the safe administration of medicines. The premises were clean and tidy and staff followed infection control procedures.

An assessment of people’s needs was completed before they received support. Staff were supported and equipped to carry out their roles through ongoing training, regular supervisions and annual appraisals. 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. Staff supported people to enjoy a balanced diet and to access a range of health care professionals.

People were well supported and cared for. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and supported them to maintain their independence. People were supported to maintain relationships that were important to them and advocacy support was available, when needed.

People had person-centred care plans that detailed how they wanted to be supported. Staff knew how to communicate with people and most effective communication methods were detailed in care records. People and relatives had no complaints about the home but knew how to raise concerns. Any complaints received were fully investigated and actioned. People enjoyed a range of activities inside the home and accessed the local community.

The home was well managed. People and relatives were complimentary about the home and felt the registered manager was very approachable and open. An effective quality assurance process was in place. People, relatives and staff were regularly consulted about the quality of the care and support through surveys and meetings.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 16 October 2017). Since this rating was

awarded the registered provider of the service has changed. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the new registration of the service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.