OSJCT Skirbeck Court

Updated 31 December 2019

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

An inspector and an assistant inspector completed the inspection.

Service and service type

OSJCT Skirbeck Court 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.

At the time of the inspection the service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission, the home was being managed by an interim manager in this report. A new manager had been appointed and there was a planned start date for the person. The registered manager 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 and professionals who work with the service. 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 seven members of staff including the area operations manager for the home and the interim manager. We also spoke with a senior care worker, two care workers, a member of the kitchen staff and a housekeeper. 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 reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two 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.

Updated 31 December 2019

About the service

OSJCT Skirbeck Court is a residential care home providing personal care to 34 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. OSJCT Skirbeck Court can accommodate up to 39 people in one adapted building.

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

The provider had systems in place to assess how many staff were needed to meet people’s needs. They had followed safe recruitment practices and provided training so that staff had the skills needed to care for people safely. Medicines were safely managed and administered in line with good practice guidelines. Staff knew how to keep people safe from the risk of infection.

Staff were kind and caring to people and supported their privacy and dignity. They knew people’s characters and were able to identify when people were not well. They encouraged people to be as independent as possible and supported them to make choices about their everyday lives.

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’s needs were assessed and care plans were developed in conjunction with people and their relatives. Risks to people were assessed using best practice guidelines and care was planned to minimise the risks to people. Any incidents were investigated and changes made in care to keep people safe.

People’s ability to eat safely and maintain a healthy weight was assessed and where needed people were referred to healthcare professionals for advice and support. People were offered a choice of meals and these were tailored to people’s individual needs. Where people chose to follow a particular diet, this was respected.

People were supported to live a fulfilled life with opportunities offered to them to access the community. In addition, volunteers were used within the home to support people’s well-being and activity levels.

People’s needs and wishes at the end of their life were recorded and respected. People’s families were supported at this difficult time. Staff worked with healthcare professionals to ensure people were kept pain free at the end of their lives.

The home did not have a registered manager at the time of inspection, the provider had kept us up to date on their recruitment process and had put in an interim manager to oversee the home. Following the inspection, a new manager was appointed and applied to be registered with us.

The environment was well maintained and there were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of care people received. While people knew how to complain no one had felt the need to raise any concerns. People’s views of the care they received had been gathered and used to improve the care provided.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 9 March 2017).

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.