St Johns Nursing Home

Updated 16 March 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

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

The inspection was completed by 1 inspector and 1 Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type.

St Johns Nursing Home is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. St Johns Nursing Home is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since their registration with CQC. The provider was asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke to 17 people and relatives to gain feedback about their care. We spoke to 13 staff including, the registered manager, senior staff, nursing and care staff.

We reviewed records relating to people’s care and the running of the service. These included care records for 8 people, 5 staff recruitment file, audits, policies, incidents reports, health and safety records, quality assurance records, medicines administration records and care records.

Updated 16 March 2023

About the service

St Johns Nursing Home is a care home registered to provide personal and nursing care for up to 38 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom were living with dementia. At the time of our inspection visit there were 38 people living at the home.

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

People told us they received good quality care and they felt safe living at St Johns Nursing Home. Staff had a good understanding of assessing and managing risks related to people’s health and medical conditions. There were systems in place to support people against the risks of suffering abuse and the registered manager investigated incidents appropriately. People had experienced positive outcomes in relation to reduction in falls and management of pressure sores. The home was clean and hygienic and there were appropriate systems in place to manage health and safety risks.

People’s needs were fully assessed and appropriate plans of nursing and care were in place. People told us they enjoyed the food at the home and they had plenty of access to drinks. Staff received effective training around meeting people’s healthcare, nutritional and hydration needs. 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 environment at the service was suitable for people’s needs.

The provider was responsive to people’s needs and people’s care plans reflected their abilities and preferences around personal care. People were supported to lead active social lives. People told us they felt happy to raise complaints and that issues were always resolved. Staff had training in providing empathetic and responsive end of life care. The provider had received many letters of thanks from relatives of people who had spent their final days at the service.

People told us they had positive working relationships with staff. They said staff were patient, caring and that they treated them with dignity and respect. People were supported to maintain independent skills around their daily living where possible. People were involved in making decisions about their care and the provider considered people’s equality and diversity when planning and reviewing care.

There was effective leadership and management in place. There were systems in place to oversee and improve the quality of care, which helped promote people’s safety and wellbeing. The registered manager was a visible presence and had a good understanding of the day to day running of the service and people’s nursing and care needs. The provider worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to promote positive outcomes for people.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 2 November 2021 and this is the first inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 22 May 2019.

Why we inspected

This service had not previously been inspected and we wanted to check that people were receiving safe care and support.

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.