This inspection took place on 14 July 2016 and was unannounced. We last inspected Stichell House on 20 August 2014 and found it was meeting all legal requirements we inspected against.Stichell House is a care home without nursing and can accommodate up to 35 people. All bedrooms are single and have ensuite toilet and wash basin facilities. Accommodation is provided over three floors, all of which have tea bar facilities. There is a communal dining area and lounge facilities as well as attractive, landscaped grounds. Stichell House is situated on the edge of Greatham, a quiet residential village, in the Hospital of God estate.
At the time of the inspection there were 34 people using the service and one person was due to move in.
A registered manager was registered with the Care Quality Commission at the time of the inspection.
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.
Care plans did not always contain detailed information about how staff should provide support with mobility and continence care, for example how to support people with the use of specialist mobility equipment.
Audits were completed but the care plan audits were not always effective in identifying the concerns we noted in relation to the lack of detail in care plans. When this was raised with the registered manager they immediately started work on a new audit tool which focused on the quality and content of care records.
Audits completed by the care service manager and proprietors were detailed and involved speaking with people, relatives and staff for feedback on the service provided. Actions were recorded and the registered manager was able to respond to the actions with either an explanation or confirmation that tasks would be completed.
There was a culture of openness and transparency within the service. A visiting healthcare professional said, “The home is open and transparent and the manager is receptive to comments / recommendations.”
Staff said they felt well supported and they received the training they needed to enable them to meet people’s needs. One person said, “I’m really lucky to be here, excellent staff I can’t praise them enough.”
People and their relatives told us they felt safe living at Stichell House. Risks were assessed and there were control measures in place to support staff to manage risks appropriately. Medicines were stored, administered and recorded in a safe way.
People told us there were enough staff to meet their needs and they did not have to wait for staff to respond if they needed any support. We observed staff spent time with people, and treated them with dignity, respect, compassion and care.
Staff understood the principles of safeguarding and mental capacity. People were actively encouraged to be involved in decision making about their care, and aspects of the home environment. Residents’ meetings showed people had been consulted about recent refurbishments and use of rooms.
The activities co-ordinator was active in people’s lives and spoke with people about their interests and hobbies, so activities could be meaningful for people. People were very complimentary about the activities and the efforts the activities co-ordinator went to with fundraising. One person said, “Special praise for the activity lady she keeps your mind going.”
Meals were freshly prepared and people had a choice, but if they did not like what was on the menu an alternative was offered to them. Specialist equipment was available to support people to maintain their independence during meal times.
Access to healthcare professionals was supported and a GP clinic was held at the home every fortnight. This enabled people to see a GP regularly but also gave staff the opportunity to ask questions and seek guidance and recommendations if needed.
People and their relatives knew how to complain but said they had no reason to do so. Where complaints had been received they were investigated, recorded and action taken. There were many compliments recorded such as, ‘excellent care provided – I only have praise for the work done, we are fortunate to have such a caring high quality facility.’
You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.