St Catherines View

Updated 11 August 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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by an inspector, an operations manager, a specialist nurse advisor and an Expert by Experience. 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 Catherines View 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 Catherines View is a care home with 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.

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. We looked at information we held about the service, such as notifications about significant events. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spent time observing care and support. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We spoke with 4 people living at the service and 7 relatives. We spoke with 21 staff members across all departments, including the registered manager, clinical manager, registered nurses, care assistants, housekeeping staff, kitchen staff and companionship staff. We looked at a range of records. This included people’s care and medicines records, staff files in relation to recruitment and training, and records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 11 August 2023

About the service

St Catherines View is a care home providing nursing and personal care for up to 56 people with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 49 people using the service.

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

Staff received safeguarding training and knew how to report concerns. People and their relatives told us they felt safe with staff who treated them well. The provider had robust recruitment processes to ensure staff were suitable to work with people. Medicines were managed safely and processes were in place to ensure medicines prescribed 'when required' were not overused. There were effective systems and processes in place for infection prevention and control. There was an open culture of learning when things went wrong.

Care plans were person-centred and the service used nationally recognised tools to inform assessments. Staff demonstrated knowledge and skills and felt supported in their roles. People's nutritional needs were met. The service was purpose-built with specialist equipment to meet people's needs. People were supported to access healthcare services in a timely way. 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 were supported by staff who were kind, caring and spoke about people in a compassionate way. Staff respected people's privacy and dignity and promoted their independence. People and relatives told us they were involved in planning and reviewing their care and we observed positive interactions between staff and people.

Staff knew people well and provided person-centred care. People's communication needs were assessed, and care plans detailed sensory needs and how they liked staff to communicate with them. People were supported with activities that were planned in line with their interests and reflected their wishes. The provider had, and followed, a robust complaints procedure. There was a clear end of life pathway to support people to have a comfortable, dignified and pain-free death.

The home was exceptionally well led by a dedicated and passionate leadership team. The registered manager led by example and had developed a staff team who were proud to work at the service and put people at the heart of everything they did. Without exception, feedback about the registered manager, leadership team and culture they fostered was overwhelmingly positive. Governance and quality assurance processes were robust, well-embedded and used to monitor and improve quality. There was a clear focus on learning, improvement and innovation to promote empowering outcomes for people.

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 the service under the previous provider was Good, published on 12 November 2019.

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.