St Margarets Care Home

Updated 19 November 2020

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 the coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a thematic review of infection control and prevention measures in care homes.

The service was selected to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

This inspection took place on 9 November 2020 and was announced.

Updated 19 November 2020

About the service:

St Margarets Care Home is a residential care home providing care and support to 19 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 22 people living with dementia, frailty and physical disabilities.

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

Fire safety was assessed and people had personal evacuation plans in place. These lacked detailed on how a person would be safely evacuated. Guidance was not always available on what equipment a person would require to aid a safe evacuation and the number of staff required. Accurate documentation was not always maintained. For example, policies referred to out of date legislation and care plans were not always updated following a change in a person’s care needs.

Systems were in place to manage infection control. However, these systems were not always effective and best practice guidelines were not always followed. For example, the provider’s clinical waste bin was unlocked.

There were enough staff working to provide the support people needed, at times of their choice. Recruitment procedures ensured only suitable staff worked at the service. People had access to healthcare services and input from specialist professionals when required. Their needs in relation to their personal care, nutrition and medicines were met.

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 felt staff were caring, kind and respectful when supporting them. People told us they felt their opinions mattered and they were listened to. People's cultural and spiritual needs were encouraged and respected. The registered manager recognised the importance of meeting people’s psychological and emotional needs. The service had a range of animals including a cat, chickens and a budgie. People were observed making a fuss of the cat. People’s privacy and dignity was respected. Friendships had blossomed between people and people were observed chatting and nattering away.

There was also a positive, friendly and caring culture amongst the staff. Links with the local community had been established and people had access to a range of activities. People’s wishes around end of life care were respected and staff worked in partnership with healthcare professionals to achieve positive outcomes for people.

People and their families were provided with information about how to make a complaint and details of the complaint's procedure were displayed at the service.

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

Rating at last inspection:

The rating for the service was Good (report published 8 March 2017)

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.