This inspection took place on 23 March 2016 and was unannounced. At the last inspection carried out on 29 May 2014 the provider was meeting all the regulations that were assessed. St Johns House provides residential care for up to 36 older people.
There was a registered manager in place. 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.
At this inspection we found a vibrant, happy and thriving community. There were strong and mutually respectful relationships that existed between the people living at the service and the staff team. When asked, people’s feedback about the service was consistently high and people told us the care they received was, “Magnificent,” “Marvellous,” and, “Fantastic.” The overall impression from feedback from a variety of sources was that everyone thought people living at St Johns House were receiving the best possible care from an excellent staff team.
Emphasis was given to supporting people to lead an independent and fulfilling life, which the registered manager described to us as, “Adding Life to Years,” and encapsulated the beliefs and ideals of everyone working in the service. People living at the service could be as involved in decisions as much as they liked. We heard for example that people actively participated in staff recruitment and with an election to get a rescue dog, chickens, and a garden swing seat.
When we visited we found there was a stimulating, active environment with plenty of fun and laughter. Confident, experienced leadership provided a tangible presence in the service and managers successfully promoted the family values and people’s wellbeing and happiness, which, they told us, lay at the heart of everything they did.
The service had attained regional and national recognition through accredited schemes which acknowledge quality practice such as Investors in People Silver award, The Living Wage Foundation and Customer First. The management team encouraged and consulted with staff at all levels to improve the quality of service and all staff were encouraged to develop positive relationships with people living at the service and with each other. Staff took key roles to research best practice and promote better outcomes for people. For example, the registered manager was the recognised change leader within the organisation for the outstanding service programme with Ladder to the Moon looking at ways to engage with people creatively.
The registered manager had completed training to enable them to deliver safeguarding training to staff to make sure that risks to people were well managed. They were confident about local safeguarding policies and understood when they needed to raise an issue with the local authority to ensure any safeguarding concerns were dealt with in a timely manner.
Risks assessments were in place for a wide range of environmental and individual factors. This helped to ensure that risks were identified and action could be taken to reduce and minimise the likelihood of potential risks to people. Specialised cleaning equipment including laundry equipment had been purchased to minimise the risk of cross infection.
Robust recruitment systems were in place to recruit staff safely. All staff received induction training, which introduced them to the culture and values of the service. They also received training in addition to specific training for people’s individual needs. There was a health and wellbeing champion who met with the GP each week to discuss people’s health care, which ensured that people’s welfare remained under constant review.
Staffing levels were flexible to ensure people were well supported to make full use of the facilities and go out on trips. There were dedicated activity coordinators in addition to the housekeeping staff, kitchen and laundry staff, all of whom took an active part in every aspect of the service and were also encouraged to develop positive relationships with people living there. The service was maintained to a very good standard of comfort and cleanliness and when we looked around one person described the accommodation as, “Always spotless.” We saw a new extension had been built to house a new laundry, and there were plans to extend and refurbish the kitchen.
One member of staff had responsibility for the safe management of medicines to ensure people received the right medicines at the right time and that these were handled safely. Both the registered manager and the medicine champion regularly reviewed and audited medicines to ensure they met people’s current needs. They were proactive in involving heath care professionals whenever they felt that changes may be required.
The registered manager was clear about their responsibilities around the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
People confirmed they were consulted about their preferences including their food and drink choices. The chef met with people on a regular basis to ensure preferences were reflected on the menu. Meals were an enjoyable occasion, tables were attractively set and people could either sit in social groups they felt comfortable with or take their meals privately in their own rooms according to preference. Themed days including special meals and celebration meals featured regularly on the menu. The service had its own minibus and people were also frequently offered the opportunity to eat out in local cafes and restaurants.
Mobile tablets had been recently introduced for care planning and to record daily records and handover records and we saw staff confidently using these. People had informed staff about the areas of their care they considered most important and care plans reflected their particular wishes.
People were encouraged to give feedback informally on a daily basis, through surveys and regular meetings and the service acted upon what people said.
Effective management systems were in place to safeguard people, promote their independence and wellbeing and drive continuous improvement.