St John's House

Updated 27 May 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors and two Experts by Experience. Both inspectors and one Expert by Experience completed a site visit. The second Expert by Experience made telephone calls to the relatives of people who used the service. 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 John’s House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. St John’s House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 25 April 2023 and ended on 10 May 2023. We visited the location on 25 April 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 7 people who used the service, 15 relatives and 1 professional who regularly worked with the service. Six additional relatives provided written feedback. Written feedback was also received from an additional 4 professionals. We spoke with 8 staff including the registered manager, senior managers, housekeeping and care staff. A further 6 staff, including care and ancillary staff, provided written feedback.

We reviewed the care records for 9 people who used the service and the medicines administration records for 6 people. We observed the care and support provided and the environment was assessed for safety and suitability. Multiple governance records were reviewed including staff recruitment records, policies, quality assurance audits, action plans and maintenance records.

Updated 27 May 2023

About the service

St John’s House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to a maximum of 60 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom live with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 51 people using the service.

The home is purpose-built with accommodation over 2 floors and 3 separate suites, 1 of which is for people living with dementia. It has multiple communal areas and extensive accessible gardens.

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

The nurturing, supportive and warm culture created within the home meant people received an exceptionally compassionate and individualised level of care that improved their quality of life. The service recognised that understanding people’s life histories, values and beliefs aided them in creating support plans that met people’s often complex needs, including those associated with living with dementia. People told us the service consistently delivered care that exceeded their expectations and achieved positive outcomes that relatives did not feel was possible. This included end of life care which was especially thoughtful and compassionate not only to the people who used the service but their families and loved ones.

Staff worked patiently, diligently, and innovatively with people, their relatives, and professionals to maximise people’s potential, quality of life and wellbeing. People were placed at the heart of the service and were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The service worked in an open and transparent way which encouraged accountability and improvement. It recognised the benefits of working collaboratively with others and had participated in a number of research projects and pilots, all with the view to enhancing people’s health and wellbeing. Staff had built strong links with the local community and mutually supportive and respectful relationships had been fostered.

The provider had a robust quality assurance system in place that ensured people received a consistently high-quality service. The system was used meaningfully and encouraged staff participation and ownership. Actions were taken in response to findings and the provider had a clear accountability structure in place. Incidents were shared with staff and reflective practice was used at all levels to drive improvement. Where we identified minor shortfalls as part of the inspection these were acknowledged and promptly actioned by the registered manager.

All the people we spoke with told us they had no concerns about the service and would highly recommend it. They told us staff were skilled at providing excellent and attentive care that made people feel valued and cared for. People told us the management team were responsive, supportive, and welcoming. People’s lives had been enhanced by living at St John’s House.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (report published on 30 December 2017).

Why we inspected

We inspected this service due to the length of time since it was last inspected.

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 COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.