St Vincent House - Southsea

Updated 17 December 2020

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 Care Act 2014.

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 conducted by two inspectors and an Expert by Experience [ExE]. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The ExE had experience of care for older people and those living with dementia and spoke to people using a video telephone system.

Service and service type

St Vincent House Southsea is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission at the time of the inspection. At this inspection there was a manager in place who had commenced the registration process with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to check if the service had anyone who had tested positive for coronavirus or had symptoms, so we could plan our inspection safely.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we had received about the service, including previous inspection reports and notifications. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to send to us. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service about their experience of the care provided We spoke with six members of staff including the provider, manager, deputy manager and care staff. We observed the care being provided and reviewed a range of records, including seven people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at staff files in relation to recruitment and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at policies, risk assessments, data and quality assurance records.

Updated 17 December 2020

About the service

St Vincent House Southsea is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 27 people, some of whom live with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 24 people living at the service. Accommodation is provided over four floors which are accessed by a lift. There were communal areas such as lounges and dining rooms and a small courtyard style garden.

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

People were supported by staff who were kind, caring and who understood their likes, dislikes and preferences. People were happy living at St Vincent House Southsea and told us they felt safe.

Staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities and knew how to keep people safe from harm.

Recruitment practices were safe and there were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s needs. Quality assurance processes were robust, risks to people and the environment were managed safely and people had access to appropriate equipment where needed.

Staff had received training in infection control, including additional training since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. They followed good infection control processes, which met government guidelines for care homes.

There were suitable systems in place to ensure that medicines were securely stored, ordered and disposed of correctly and safely and people received their medicines as prescribed. However, some areas of medicine management required more robust systems to be put in place to ensure the management of medicines remained safe.

People were supported by staff who treated them with dignity, and their privacy was respected. People's care plans contained information about their individual needs, wants and wishes, to help staff deliver personalised care.

There were meaningful activities available to people that were person centred. Dedicated staff were employed to provide activities, which took into account people’s choices and interests and promoted their health and well-being.

People, relatives and staff were positive about the running of the service and the support they received from the management team and provider. Staff felt there had been improvements in all aspects of the service since the last inspection.

The management team were open and transparent. They understood their regulatory responsibilities. People, relatives and staff said the management team were approachable and supportive. There were effective governance systems in place to identify concerns in the service and drive improvement.

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

Rating at last inspection (and update)

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 27 February 2020) and there were four breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when, to improve safe care and treatment, dignity, good governance and when to notify CQC of events.. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Caring, Responsive and Well-led which contain those requirements.

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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for St Vincent House Southsea on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.