College of St Barnabas

Updated 18 March 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. 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

Two inspectors and a specialist nursing advisor carried out the inspection.

Service and service type

The College of St Barnabas 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 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.

Before the inspection

We did not ask the provider to complete a provider information return (PIR). 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.

We reviewed the evidence we had about the service. This included any notifications of significant events, such as serious injuries or safeguarding referrals. Notifications are information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who lived at the home, two relatives and three visiting professionals. We spoke with eight staff including the registered manager, the clinical lead, the bursar, the estate manager, the chef, care staff and housekeeping staff.

We looked at care records for four people, including their assessments, care plans and risk assessments. We checked five staff files, medicines management and recording, accident and incident records, quality monitoring checks and audits.

After the inspection

The registered manager sent us further information by email.

Updated 18 March 2020

The College of St Barnabas is a registered charity providing accommodation, care and support to retired members of the Anglican clergy and their wives and widows. Accommodation on the College site includes a care home with nursing for a maximum of 28 people. There were 25 people living in the care home at the time of our inspection.

The College also provides accommodation for eight couples and 20 single people in ‘The Cloisters’ flats. This accommodation is not registered with CQC. The College is registered to provide personal care to people living in The Cloisters, although this was not being provided at the time of our inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received their care from consistent staff who knew their needs and preferences well. Staff were kind and treated people with respect. People and their relatives were involved in planning their care. Staff encouraged people to make choices and respected their decisions.

Some people’s care records were not accurate or up-to-date. This had not adversely impacted people’s care as staff knew their needs and provided the support they required. However, there was a risk that people could receive inappropriate care as their care plans did not always accurately reflect their needs. We have made a recommendation about this.

The management team communicated effectively with people, relatives and professionals. People and their families and staff were able to give their views about the service and these were listened to and acted upon.

There were enough staff deployed on each shift to meet people’s needs. Staff received appropriate training for their roles and received good support from the management team. Staff understood their role in safeguarding people and knew how to recognise and respond to abuse.

Risks were assessed and managed effectively. Medicines were managed safely. Staff maintained appropriate standards of hygiene and infection control. The provider operated robust recruitment procedures which helped ensure that only suitable staff were employed.

People were supported to maintain good health and to obtain medical treatment when they needed it. Staff worked well with other professionals involved in people’s care and followed any guidance put in place by professionals.

People had access to a wide range of activities, events and outings. Relatives were made welcome when they visited and were encouraged to be involved in the life of the home. People’s religious and spiritual needs were met. People generally enjoyed the food at the home and had opportunities to give their views about the menu.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

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 21 July 2017.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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 we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.