St Claire's Care Centre

Updated 18 May 2022

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

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

St Claire’s Care Centre 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 Claire’s Care Centre 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 service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

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

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

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.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who use the service. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager and care workers. We requested feedback from other care workers via emails. We reviewed a range of records. This included two people's support records and medication records. We reviewed four staff records in relation to recruitment, training and supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, policies and procedures were reviewed. We observed interactions between staff and people throughout the day.

Updated 18 May 2022

About the service

St Claire’s Care Centre is a small care home offering residential, dementia and respite care to older adults in one adapted building. The service can support up to five people. At the time of this inspection three people were living at the service.

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

There were sufficient staff to meet people's needs however improvements were needed to staff recruitment files. At the time of our inspection hot water temperatures exceeded safe range, but the registered manager took immediate actions to rectify this. People were supported with their medicines. However medicine stock was not checked often enough to identify any potential medicine errors. After our inspection the registered manager introduced additional medicine stock checks.

People felt safe and enjoyed living at St Claire’s Care Centre. People achieved good outcomes and staff supported people to improve the quality of their life. Infection control systems were followed. People were protected against the risks of transmission of COVID19.

Staff received appropriate training to ensure they had the skills to meet people's needs. Staff knew and understood people's support needs well. People were provided with a choice of home cooked meals.

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 had access to the healthcare services as and when required. People told us the staff were kind. Staff developed a positive relationship with people. Staff maintained people's privacy and encouraged people to be as independent as possible. Staff worked in a flexible way to meet people's support needs in a person-centred way.

The providers systems and processes monitored the quality of the service. A schedule of audits in key areas was in place, with audits being undertaken by the management team. The registered manager knew people well and were knowledgeable about when and how to make appropriate referrals to other health professionals for advice and support.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 30 September 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.