Archived: St Maur

Updated 18 December 2015

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection was undertaken by an inspector for adult social care on 18 and 19 November 2015 and was unannounced. This meant the provider and staff did not know we were visiting.

Before the inspection we reviewed information we held about the service. This included previous inspection reports and notifications we had received. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

During the inspection we spoke with six people who used the service, the registered manager, the deputy manager and four members of staff. We contacted two mental health nurses following the inspection. We also looked at three care records related to people’s individual care needs, two staff recruitment files and staff training records. We examined records associated with the management of medicine, people’s money, feedback questionnaires about St Maur, and quality audits related to the service.

As part of the inspection, we observed the interactions between people and staff, discussed people’s care needs with staff and observed the afternoon staff handover. We also looked around the premises.

Updated 18 December 2015

The inspection took place on 18 and 19 November2015 and was unannounced.

St Maur is a small residential home providing short term care (usually up to twelve weeks), rehabilitation and support for a maximum of eight people with mental health needs. Some people may be detained under the Mental Health Act and some people may be under supervision in the community. St Maur is one of the services provided by The Community Care Trust, a voluntary sector provider for people who experience mental health problems. St Maur has a registered manager. 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.

During the inspection people and staff appeared relaxed, there was a calm and pleasant atmosphere. People spoke highly about the care and support they received and professionals we spoke with confirmed this. Staff went the extra mile to ensure personalised care. Care records were individualised and gave people control over how they liked to receive their care and treatment. Staff were able to respond to people’s change in needs because they knew people well. People were involved in identifying their needs, setting their own recovery goals and detailed how they would like to be supported. People’s preferences were sought and respected.

People’s risks were managed well and monitored. People were encouraged to live full and active lives and were supported to participate in community life. Activities were individualised, dependent on people’s goals, varied, and reflected people’s interests, individual hobbies and strengths.

People had their medicines managed safely. People received their medicines as prescribed, received them on time and understood what they were for. People were supported to maintain good health through regular access to healthcare professionals, such as GPs and mental health nurses.

People told us they felt safe. Staff understood their role with regards to the Mental Capacity Act (2005) (MCA) and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Applications would be made if required and advice was sought to help safeguard people and respect their human rights. All staff had undertaken training on safeguarding adults from abuse, they displayed good knowledge on how to report any concerns and described what action they would take to protect people against harm. Staff told us they felt confident any incidents or allegations would be fully investigated.

Staff described the management as very open, supportive and approachable. People told us the manager was “Brilliant.” Staff talked positively about their jobs telling us they enjoyed their work and felt valued. The staff we met were caring, kind, compassionate and they put people first.

Staff received a comprehensive induction programme. There were high levels of staffing to meet people’s needs. Staff were appropriately trained and had the correct skills to carry out their roles effectively. Staff felt supported by informal and formal supervision processes.

There were quality assurance systems in place. Incidents were appropriately recorded, investigated and action taken to reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence. Reflective practice discussions were held to provide learning and staff support following incidents. Feedback from people, professionals and staff was encouraged and positively received. Learning from incidents was used to drive improvements and ensure positive progress was made in the delivery of care and support provided by the home.