We carried out a review of the data available to us about St George's Residential Care Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about St George's Residential Care Home, you can give feedback on this service.
St George’s Residential Care Home is a care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 41 people in one adapted building. The home provides support to older people and older people who are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 33 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were safe and protected from abuse. Risks to people’s safety had been identified and managed. People received the care they needed because there were enough staff to support them. People received their medicines safely and as their doctors had prescribed. The registered manager had systems to learn and share lessons from incidents to ensure people were safe. People were protected from the risk of infection because staff followed good infection prevention procedures.
People’s rights were protected because the management team and staff understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. 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.
People received person-centred care which met their needs. People told us they would recommend the home. The provider had invested in making improvements to the accommodation and had identified further areas for improvement. The staff worked in partnership with other agencies to ensure people received the support they needed. The provider and management team were aware of their responsibilities under the duty of candour. They were open and honest with people and their relatives when incidents occurred.
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 19 June 2021).
Why we inspected
We received concerns in relation to infection prevention and control in the 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.
The overall rating for the service has remained good, based on the findings of this inspection.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe section of this full report.
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, which will help inform when we next inspect.
St George's Residential Home is a residential care home and at the time of inspection was providing personal care to 31 people aged 65 and over and people living with dementia. The service can support up to 41 people.
The home is an older, listed property that has been extended and adapted to provide accommodation in mainly single rooms. There are suitable shared areas in the home and one unit is specifically for people living with dementia.
We found the following examples of good practice.
The provider had established systems to prevent visitors from spreading and catching infections. They had followed guidance on supporting safe visiting. During inspection, a questionnaire for professional visitors was introduced to ensure they were safe to visit. Visitors were also screened for symptoms and their contact details were recorded to support the NHS Test and Trace service.
In the event of an outbreak of COVID-19, people living in the home could shield from people who may be infected and there were appropriate isolation processes in place to mitigate the risk of transmission of disease.
Social media platforms were used to facilitate contact between people and their relatives where physical visiting was not possible. People were supported by staff to use this technology and this included the use of handheld devices. Relatives and friends were able to visit people living at the home in line with current guidance.
The provider had established safe admission procedures for staff to follow. This included requiring new people to have a negative COVID-19 test before moving into the home, a further test during residency and to self-isolate in their bedrooms. The service was in the process of developing a new admissions process at the inspection. We were told this would reflect current guidance and best practice.
During our visit we observed staff using Personal Protective Equipment, (PPE) safely. The provider had ensured sufficient stocks of appropriate PPE were available to protect people.
People living in the home and the staff were tested regularly for COVID-19. The provider had also supported staff and people to receive COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
The home was clean and hygienic. Comprehensive cleaning schedules were in place and there were designated staff members who performed these duties.
The provider had safe infection prevention and control policies and procedures.
The provider could adapt the layout of the building to support safe cohorting in the event of an outbreak.
St George's Residential Home is a residential care home providing personal care to 32 people aged 65 and over and people living with dementia at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 41 people.
The home is an older, listed property that has been extended and adapted to provide accommodation in mainly single rooms. The double rooms in the home are currently single occupancy. There are suitable shared areas in the home and one unit is specifically for people living with dementia. The home has an enclosed garden where people can safely enjoy the outside space.
The home is situated in Millom, has parking space and is a short distance from the railways station and the other amenities of this small town.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were protected from harm and abuse because there were suitable systems in place and staff had the right kind of training, skills and knowledge.
Risks to people were thoroughly assessed and managed. Risks related to the building and to systems, like those concerning infection control and building maintenance, were regularly assessed and managed.Good systems were in place for the management of medicines and staff had received recent training in the new electronic management and administration system.Staff recruitment was correctly managed with all checks completed before staff had contact with people.
Infection control was well managed during the pandemic because the registered manager had reviewed the systems and training before the first lockdown. There had been no cases of Covid-19 in the service.
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.
Staff were suitably inducted, trained and skilled to support people's needs. Staff worked with health and social care providers so that people had very good levels of care.
Staff ensured people had access to health care support and were given nutritious meals. The deputy and the chef were trained in supporting people with nutrition.
The home had been established for many years and the new provider was aware that some areas needed refurbishment. A detailed, stepped plan was in place to improve the environment and we saw the changes that had occurred. This included 'dementia friendly' environments for people living with this impairment.
We observed kind and caring exchanges between staff and people in the home. The atmosphere was relaxed and people told us the staff were kind and caring. People were treated with respect and helped to maintain dignity and privacy. People were supported to be as independent as possible. We met assertive people who were able to express their views and told us they were not worried about complaining if things were not to their liking.
People's care was suitably assessed and planned. Care plans were detailed and covered needs and wishes. Personal care was given in the way people wished. Where people had communication needs the staff received training and followed the guidance in care plans.
The registered manager had ensured that relatives and friends could visit in a safe way and people told us they were helped to maintain relationships during the pandemic. Several people told us about using things like Facetime and mobile phones.
Staff had received training on end-of life care and the team worked well with G.Ps and nurses to support people at the end of life.
The new provider was fully involved in monitoring quality and improving the service. Company directors visited regularly and worked closely with the registered manager to ensure the service was delivering care and services appropriately.
The registered manager was suitably qualified and experienced, as was her deputy. The registered manager and the deputy manager were supported by an administrator and together these three senior staff members were driving the programme of improvement and maintaining quality. Senior care staff, care staff and ancillary staff were working towards common goals and values. This was a highly motivated and enthusiastic team who put people first.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
This service was registered with a new provider on 01/07/2019 and this is the first inspection since this change.
The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 1701.2017.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous 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.