The Old Chapel Care Home

Updated 6 February 2020

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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

The Old Chapel 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. The service had a manager 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 inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority commissioners and safeguarding, the fire service, infection control 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 four people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, senior care worker, and the cook. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 6 February 2020

About the service

The Old Chapel is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 15 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 15 people. The Old Chapel provides modern accessible accommodation in a converted old chapel. Bedrooms are en-suite with fully accessible facilities to maximise the independence of people with disabilities associated with getting older. The home is set over two floors; communal areas are on the ground floor and bedrooms on both floors.

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

People and their relatives spoke very highly about the care they received at the home describing the service as outstanding and excellent. They told us the staffing ratio to people was good and they did not have to wait for care to be provided.

People were supported by staff who received appropriate training and support to carry out their roles and responsibilities. Staff were knowledgeable about people, and how best to support them and there was a really positive atmosphere in the home.

Staff told us they were supported by a registered manager who was approachable and encouraged them to provide excellent care by working with them and sharing their knowledge. People and their relatives repeatedly told us how well-led the service was which meant they had total confidence their relations were safe living at the home.

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.

Meals were freshly prepared and to people’s preferences and they had input into the menus to ensure they were to their liking. People were regularly offered a drink at a time of their choosing to ensure they remained hydrated.

Staff had been recruited safely and all the necessary checks had been carried out. The registered manager was working hard to continuously improve the service by completing checks and audits. They had a vision for the service “to provide high quality care and make sure everyone is happy and live a fulfilling life.” This was shared by all staff who strived to ensure people received personalised care and were happy at the home.

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

Rating at last inspection and update: The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 16 January 2019)

Enforcement

Since the last inspection we recognised that the provider had failed to display their ratings. This was a breach of regulation and we issued a fixed penalty notice. The provider accepted a fixed penalty and paid this in full.

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.