St Josephs

Updated 23 October 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was undertaken by an adult social care inspector and an 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 Josephs is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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. The registered manager was not available on the inspection and this was supported by the acting manager for the service.

Notice of inspection

This was an unannounced inspection which took place on 30 September 2019.

What we did

Our planning considered information the provider sent us since the last inspection This included information about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse or other concerns. We obtained information from the local authority commissioners and other professionals who work with the service.

During the inspection, we spoke with eight people using the service and two family members to ask about their experience of care. We also spoke with the acting manager, senior managers for the provider and six members of staff. We received feedback from a visiting professional.

We looked at four people’s care records and a selection of other records including quality monitoring records, training records, staff records, and records of checks carried out on the premises and equipment.

Updated 23 October 2019

About the service:

St Joseph’s is registered to provide accommodation and support for up to 18 people. At the time of this inspection there were 18 people living there. The service provides support to people who have an acquired brain injury, a neurological disorder and/or a physical disability. The home is run by Nugent Care, an organisation that provides support services to people in the North West of England.

People’s experience of using this service

People told us they were settled and happy living at St Josephs. They told they got their medicines on time and staff supported them when needed.

Arrangements were in place for checking the environment to ensure it was safe.

The home was staffed appropriately and consistently. Most staff had been employed for several years and this helped to develop positive relationships with people living there. People told us that the regular staff had the skills and approach needed to help ensure they were receiving the right care.

People told us that they felt safe in the home. Nobody raised any concerns about the care; a visiting relative said, “(Person) would always tell me [if they had any concerns).”

There were a series of quality assurance processes and audits carried out internally and externally by staff and visiting managers for the provider. These were effective in managing the home and were based on getting feedback from the people living there.

The formal assessment and planning of people’s care in care records had been reviewed and updated. Records displayed good detail of peoples care needs and evidenced their involvement.

There was a positive and relaxed atmosphere in the home. People living in the home interacted freely and staff interactions we observed were seen to be caring and supportive.

The staff we spoke with described how they would recognise abuse and the action they would take to ensure actual or potential harm was reported.

People were supported to have 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.

We saw people’s dietary needs were managed with reference to individual needs and choice. Meal times provided a good social occasion. We had some discussion during our feedback how provision could be further improved.

Rating at last inspection:

The last rating for this service was Good (published 6 April 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.

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