The Old Rectory Care Home

Updated 9 October 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. 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.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

The Old Rectory is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as 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 had two managers registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

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, professionals who work with the service and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. 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 10 people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with two healthcare professionals who were visiting the home. We spoke with eleven members of staff including the provider, deputy manager, senior care workers, care workers and the chef. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at one staff file in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 9 October 2019

About the service

The Old Rectory Care Home is a residential care home providing support with personal care to 30 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 30 people. The care home accommodates 30 people in one adapted building.

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

The service was exceptionally well-led. This was confirmed by people who lived at the home, their relatives, healthcare professionals and staff. The provider’s high standards and ethos had been embraced and adopted by the staff team. All staff were proud to work at the home and were committed to providing people with the highest standard of care. The was an open and inclusive ethos and a commitment to learning and improving the service. People were at the heart of the service and their views were valued.

People were supported by exceptionally kind and compassionate staff who ensured they were fully involved in decisions about their care. People were treated with the upmost respect and their right to privacy was understood and respected by staff. People were supported to remain as independent as possible.

People and their relatives told us they received a service which exceeded their expectations. Staff went the extra mile to ensure people received truly person-centred care. Staff were extremely responsive to people’s needs and went to great lengths to ensure people felt valued and had opportunities for social stimulation. People felt very confident and comfortable to discuss any concerns with staff. People could be truly confident that their wishes for end of life care would be respected by staff.

People felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them. Risks of abuse to people were minimised because the provider carried out pre-employment checks on all new staff. People told us staff were always kind and we saw people were very relaxed and comfortable.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People said staff always asked for their consent before helping them.

People had their needs assessed and were supported by staff who had the skills and experience to meet their needs. Staff monitored people’s health and well-being and worked with other professionals to make sure they received the care and treatment they needed. People’s nutritional needs were met and everyone we spoke with was happy with the food and drinks provided.

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 outstanding. (Report published 4 April 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.