The Old Rectory Residential Home

Updated 10 July 2021

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by an inspector and an inspection manager.

Service and service type

The Old Rectory Residential Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, senior care worker and care worker. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and meeting minutes.

After the inspection

We looked at training data and policies and procedures. We spoke with two professionals who regularly visit the service, three members of staff and two relatives.

Updated 10 July 2021

About the service

The Old Rectory Residential Home is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 35 people aged 65 and over. At the time of the inspection The Old Rectory Residential Home accommodated 27 people in one adapted building.

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

Staff worked tirelessly to care for people who were deemed at the end of their life and successfully achieved unexpected outcomes for people, helping them to recover. The registered manager and staff had excellent knowledge of people’s diverse needs and supported people in ways that were personalised to them, to achieve the best outcomes possible.

The registered manager had excelled at strengthening and maintaining relationships with people’s relatives, community links and health care professionals despite the COVID-19 pandemic. They had proactively engaged people within the service and creatively introduced and maintained activities.

Feedback from people, relatives, staff and professionals about the service was extremely positive. One person said, “I think it is managed very well, I have no complaints.” A relative said, “[The registered manager] oh wonderful, I can't say a word against [them]. No qualms no fears only praise.” Staff also said, “I actually am very happy and proud of the management.” Everyone we spoke to felt involved with the service.

The registered manager had championed making information accessible for people, they involved people in a survey to inform the homes information practice so that it was tailored to people’s specific needs. The provider had a quality monitoring system in place to ensure there was a good standard of practice and care for people living at the service.

People told us staff were caring. We observed kind and caring interactions between staff and people living at the home during our inspection. People were treated with respect and had their independence promoted.

People told us they felt safe living at the service and relatives we spoke to agreed they felt their loved ones were safe. Staff knew the signs of abuse to look out for and where to escalate any potential concerns. Risk assessments and care plans had the information necessary to support staff in keeping people safe. Medicines were managed safely and in line with people’s preferences. Feedback from professionals about medicine management was good.

Staff were recruited safely with a suitable induction to the service. The service had enough staff with excellent knowledge about people living at the service, who were upskilled to be able to support people with complex health needs.

Peoples needs were continually assessed and reviewed to ensure people had the best quality of life possible. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The registered manager and staff achieved good outcomes for people. People were supported in line with their needs and preferences for all aspects of their care including nutrition and healthcare needs. The registered manager worked in partnership where appropriate, with healthcare professionals to be able to deliver the best care for people possible. External professionals working with the service’s team gave them high praise.

Rating and the last inspection

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 30 September 2016.

Why we inspected

This is the first inspection for this newly registered service. 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.

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.