St Christopher's Care Home

We found the following examples of good practice.

All areas of the building were very clean, and no malodours were present. Staff were using personal protective equipment (PPE) in the correct way.

Hand hygiene points in the bathrooms and along corridors were accessible and stocked.

The staff team supported each other to clean and regularly check the quality of cleaning completed. There was a routine set up for the staff team at each shift to clean certain areas of the service such as high touch areas, sinks, and empty the bins. When visitors left, the area used would be cleaned and ventilated. The staff team worked together as a team in ensuring infection prevention and control.

There was a named infection prevention and control lead at the service who oversaw the practice and documentation related to infection prevention and control. Senior staff completed checks and audits with any improvements picked up and actioned afterwards.

Any updates and changes in the guidance were shared regularly with the staff team during the handovers and staff meetings. Staff told us communication was really good and everyone worked as a team to ensure the people and the service stayed infection-free.

People and staff who tested COVID-19 positive were able to isolate in accordance with current guidance. This effectively prevented the spread of infection. At the time of inspection, there were no positive cases in the service.

About the service

St Christopher's Care Home is a care home without nursing that provides accommodation with personal care for up to 25 older people. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people living in the home.

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

The staff and management team showed a genuine and in-depth understanding and compassion for people they supported. They continuously encouraged improvements and innovation to benefit people in the service. The staff team always tried to enable people to express their own views ensuring people received the care they needed and wanted.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities, were motivated, and had confidence in their management and senior staff team. Moreover, they were supportive of each other to ensure people received excellent care. The management team placed a great importance on ensuring everybody was treated as an individual and received person-centred care. They had worked hard and had established a strong and visible person-centred culture. The service encouraged and sustained contacts with the local community, external resources and support groups.

The management team spoke with great passion about the care and support they provided to people and their families. They encouraged staff to go the 'extra mile' when supporting people and that was reflected in the feedback received from people and families. Staff were motivated to provide care with much kindness and consideration. People and their families felt they really mattered to the whole staff team.

We observed staff were respectful, considerate and incredibly positive towards people and their relatives. It was paramount to the service to ensure people's wellbeing was respected and protected. People and relatives confirmed staff always respected their privacy and maintained their dignity. People benefitted greatly from living at a service that had a very open and welcoming culture.

The service continued to provide end of life care with a great care and compassion. People and their families were always supported with the utmost consideration and understanding to ensure their decisions and preferences were taken into account. Staff continued to be skilled and attentive to deliver high-quality care following people's and families wishes ensuring they were comfortable. The provider and the registered manager always continued to ensure appropriate facilities and support were available to people, those who were important to them and staff, during the care and after the person's death. They continued to work with other professionals who praised the quality of the service and the care provided.

People were able to engage in a wide range of meaningful activities and maintain regular links with the community. People reported they really enjoyed getting involved in activities and outings because it made them feel busy and useful. People’s choices were always respected by attentive and understanding staff, who were continuously researching for creative and innovative ways to ensure people lived their lives to the full. The whole staff team were very responsive to the needs of people and enabled them to improve and enjoy their life.

The management team had quality assurance systems and were able to identify issues and any improvements necessary. They praised the staff team for their dedication and hard work and appreciated their contribution in ensuring people received the best care and support.

People felt safe while supported by the staff who had the relevant knowledge and confidence to identify safeguarding concerns and acted on these to keep people safe. The management and staff team recognised, reviewed and explored better ways of working when things went wrong. The registered manager ensured there were enough qualified, skilled and knowledgeable staff to meet people's needs at all times. The service had an appropriate recruitment procedure to follow before new staff were employed to work with people. The service assessed risks to people's personal safety, as well as those to staff and visitors, and actions were taken to minimise those risks. There were safe medicines administration systems in place and people received their medicines when required. There were contingency plans in place to respond to emergencies.

The management team had planned and booked training when necessary to ensure all staff had the appropriate knowledge to support people. Staff felt supported by the registered manager and senior staff, which helped maintain great team work. The management and staff team monitored people's health and wellbeing and took appropriate action when required to address concerns.

People received support that was individualised to their specific needs. Their needs and support plans were kept under review and promptly amended as changes occurred. 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 interest. 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 (published 23 November 2016).

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.

The service had a registered manager as required. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager and the provider were present and assisted us during this inspection. They worked closely together to ensure people received appropriate care and the service was operating well.

St Christopher’s Care Home is part of Ascot Residential Homes and is run by the same registered manager as another sister home on the same grounds. The registered manager and the provider spent equal time at each service. They expected the same outcomes for both services promoting positive attitudes and a high standard of practice.

The registered manager and staff had an excellent understanding and motivation to meet people’s social and care needs. They were constantly finding creative and innovative ways to ensure people lived their lives to the full. People were able to engage in a wide range of meaningful activities and maintain links with the community regularly. This helped them avoid becoming isolated. People really enjoyed keeping busy because it made them feel as if they were at home. People could also spend time with their visitors or by themselves if they wished so. Their choices were always respected by attentive and understanding staff. It was paramount to the service to ensure people's wellbeing was respected and protected. All interactions observed between staff and people living at the service were provided with the greatest respect and friendliness. People and relatives confirmed staff always respected their privacy and dignity. People benefitted greatly from living at a service that had a very open and welcoming culture.

People and relatives told us great things about the service they received. They also felt the staff would ensure people received really good care when supporting them. The registered manager and provider spoke with a great passion about the care and support they provided to the people and their families. It was clear this was also disseminated well to the staff team. Staff were greatly motivated to provide care with much kindness and consideration. People and their families really felt they mattered to the staff team and the registered manager. They always had opportunities to share and discuss their views which were taken into account and actioned. The registered manager and the provider worked in a proactive way. This included managing people’s health and care needs and encouraging people, relatives and staff to report any issues to them so they could address concerns immediately.

People told us they felt safe living at the home. Staff understood well their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents or allegations of abuse. They felt confident any concerns would be addressed appropriately. Risk assessments were carried out to ensure people's safety. Staff recognised and responded to changes in risks to people who use the service. People received effective personal care and support from staff who knew them well and were trained and supervised. There were contingency plans in place to respond to emergencies. End of life care was provided with great care and compassion. People and their families were always supported with utmost consideration and understanding to ensure decisions and preferences were taken into account.

People's rights to make their own decisions, where possible, were protected and staff were aware of their responsibilities to ensure those rights were promoted. People were treated with care and kindness. The registered manager and staff were knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Staff were following the principles of the MCA when supporting people to make a decision. The service was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The DoLS provide a lawful way to deprive someone of their liberty, provided it is in their own best interests or is necessary to keep them safe from harm. The registered manager had taken appropriate action with the local authority to determine if anyone was being restricted of their rights and liberties. At the time of our inspection five authorisations were in place.

The registered manager ensured there were enough qualified and knowledgeable staff to meet people's needs at all times. The service had employed skilled staff and took steps to ensure the care and support was person-centred to people at all times. Staff were knowledgeable and focused on following best practice at the service making sure people received high quality care and support.

People received their prescribed medicine safely and on time. The service followed safe procedures for storing and handling medicines and kept accurate records. People had a nutritious and balanced diet and hot and cold drinks and snacks were available between meals. People had their healthcare needs identified and were able to access healthcare professionals such as their GP. Staff knew how to access specialist professional help when needed.

Our observations and the records we looked at confirmed the very positive descriptions people and relatives had given us. Staff understood the needs of the people and provided care with much kindness and consideration. People told us they were encouraged to do things for themselves and staff supported them to be independent when they could. People received support that was individualised to their personal preferences and needs. The staff monitored people’s needs and care plans were reviewed regularly or as changes occurred. People and their families were always involved in the planning of their care. They really felt they mattered to the staff team.

There were robust recruitment processes in place. All necessary safety checks were completed to ensure prospective staff members were suitable before they were appointed to their posts. People told us staff were available when they needed them and staff knew how they liked things done.

People felt staff were happy working at the service and had good relationships with the team and the management. Staff agreed the management was open with them and communicated well about what was happening at the service and also with the people living there. People and their relatives told us they felt the service was managed well and that they could approach management and staff with any concerns. The service encouraged feedback from people and families, which they used to make improvements to the service where necessary. The registered manager had systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of care consistently with the help of staff and other members of staff team within the company. Throughout our inspection we saw examples of appropriate support that helped make the service a place where people felt included and enjoyed living there.

People who use the service were protected from abuse because their staff had appropriate knowledge and training on safeguarding vulnerable adults. People and their families we spoke to told us they felt safe and would report any concerns to staff.

The provider had a robust recruitment process in place to make sure that people who use the service were not placed at risk of being cared for by inappropriate staff.

The provider had a policy for storing, archiving and destroying records. All records relevant to the management of the service were stored securely in a locked cupboard or the office and were easily accessible to staff.

People we spoke to and visiting relatives told us that they were happy with the care provided. One visitor said, 'the staff are excellent' and another visitor told us that the staff provided exceptional care and they felt very welcomed into the home. One person told us that the staff did things at their pace and were very patient.

We saw that people experienced safe and effective care based on detailed care plans. There were risk assessments that met individual needs and provided guidance to staff to minimise potential risks. We saw that good nutritional care was provided in a way that met people's needs and preferences.

People were protected from abuse as they were supported by a staff team who had appropriate knowledge and training on safeguarding adults. People we spoke to told us that if they had any concerns they would up would speak up about it.

Staff we spoke to and records we reviewed, demonstrated that staff were trained and competent to carry out their roles. They felt very supported by their manager and the organisation and were very happy to work at the care home.

The provider had effective systems in place to monitor and assess the quality of the service. The provider regularly collected the views of families, people who used the service and other practitioners and they were very positive about the service.