St Edmunds

Updated 26 June 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, 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 team consisted of one 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 Edmunds 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.

Care is provided over two floors. There are several communal areas that people can reside in and a main dining room which is located on the ground floor.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

What we did: Before the inspection visit to St Edmunds we reviewed the information we held about the service and the provider. This included any notifications the provider had sent us which is required by law, any information we had received from members of the public and the information the provider had sent to us in their Provider Information Return. Providers are required to send us key information about their service, what they do well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection visit, we spoke with eight people who received care and two visiting relatives. We also spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager, the cook, three care staff and two visiting healthcare professionals.

We looked at various records relating to the care that people received which included four people's care records and five medicine records. We also looked at a range of records regarding how the registered manager and provider monitored the quality of care people received.

After the inspection visit to St Edmunds the registered manager sent us further information regarding the inspection of the home which we reviewed and have included within this report.

Updated 26 June 2019

About the service: St Edmunds is a residential care home that provides accommodation and personal care for up to 40 people. At the time of the inspection, a total of 34 people were living in the home.

People’s experience of using this service:

Staff were kind and caring and respected people as individuals. They ensured people had maximum choice and control of their lives and people received care that met their individual needs and preferences.

The provider had instilled a person-centred and open culture within the home where people and staff were listened to and able to give their opinions about the quality of care provided. Their suggestions for improvement were listened to and implemented.

Staff promoted people’s health and wellbeing. When people became unwell, staff acted quickly to help them maintain their health. People had access to various healthcare professionals such as the local GP or district nurse when they required this.

People told us they felt safe living at St Edmunds. Risks to people’s individual safety had been assessed and managed well. Staff had received training about what to do in an emergency and were knowledgeable in this area.

People were encouraged to be independent. They told us they received adequate stimulation through regular activities to support their interests. Good links with the local community had been established for the benefit of the people living in the home.

The home and equipment people used was clean and staff understood how to reduce the risk of any infections spreading. People received their medicines when they needed them.

The staff were well trained, and their care practice was kept under regular review to ensure it was safe. The staff felt valued and supported and there were enough of them working on each shift to meet people’s needs and to keep them safe.

There was good leadership in place and the home was managed well. The quality of care people received was regularly reviewed. Any shortfalls found were quickly acted upon and lessons learnt to improve the quality of care provided.

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection the service was rated as Good (Published December 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection to confirm the service remained Good.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

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