St Mary's Gate Euxton

Updated 26 May 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 21 March 2018, and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector.

Before our unannounced inspection, we checked the information we held about the home. This included notifications the provider sent us about incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people who lived at the home. We also contacted other health and social care organisations such as the commissioning department at the local authority. This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced living at the home.

We looked at the Provider Information Return (PIR) the provider had sent us. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used a planning tool to collate all this evidence and information prior to visiting the home

We spoke with three staff members, two relatives and one visiting social care professional. We spent some people observing the care and support provided to people to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We observed care and support in communal areas and looked around the building to check environmental safety and cleanliness.

We also spent time reviewing records. We examined care records of all three people who lived at the home. This process is called pathway tracking and enables us to judge how well staff at the home understand and plan to meet people's care needs, and manage any risks to people's health and wellbeing. We checked the recruitment, training and support documents in relation to three staff members. We also looked at records related to the management and safety of the home.

Updated 26 May 2018

St Mary's Gate is a ‘care home.’ People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, both of which we looked at during this inspection supporting four people living with profound learning disabilities and complex needs. At the time of this inspection, there were three people living at the home.

St Mary's Gate is located in a residential area of Euxton near Chorley. The home is within easy reach of the town centre and transport links can be accessed without restrictions. The home has living accommodation, a large dining area, a domestic kitchen and utility room used as a laundry. The home has four suitably adapted bedrooms and a bathroom. The home is a bungalow so access is only required to the ground floor level.

There was a registered manager for the home. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.

At the last inspection on 22 December 2016, we found that the provider needed to take action to ensure the people in the home were protected in the event of a fire, and that the service was in breach of Regulation 12 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

At this inspection in March 2018 we found that following a visit from the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and discussions with the housing landlord, improvements to the fire safety system had been made, and the service was no longer in breach of the regulation.

At the last inspection on 22 December 2016, we found that the provider needed to take action to ensure the people in the home were protected at night as there was only one member of staff on duty. Immediately after the inspection, the night time staffing arrangements increased. This ensured people were now better supported as some of the care they received requires two members of staff.

People who used the service received an excellent personalised service that met their individual needs and preferences. People were at the centre of how their service was run and were fully involved in the planning and developing of the service. Staff used innovative ideas and actions to improve people's quality of life and to give them outstanding opportunities in daily life. People were supported with meaningful activities which supported their well-being and encouraged them to access the local community.

The provider had effective systems in place to ensure there was always the correct amount of staff with the appropriate skills and training needed to provide safe care for people. There was a structured induction program to ensure staff developed the skills needed to work for the provider and on-going training was in place that ensured staffs skills remained up to date. Staff were provided with support from their line manager to ensure they were working in line with best practice. Recruitment processes ensured staff were safe to work with people at the home.

Risks to people were managed and care was planned to keep people safe. The registered manager had submitted appropriate applications under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) to ensure people's human rights were protected. People's abilities to make choices were respected and where needed decisions were made in people's best interests. Risks to people were identified and appropriate action taken to keep people safe.

People's medicines were available to them when needed and stored safely. Appropriate support was provided, and advice taken to ensure that people's nutritional and hydration needs were met.

Staff were kind, caring and knew how to personalise care to meet people's individual needs. They respected people's privacy and dignity and people's achievements were celebrated. Staff understood people's communication needs and supported them to make their views known. People's personal environment had been decorated to reflect them as an individual and the care they needed.

Staff ensured that people's needs were assessed and care plans reflected their individual needs and were updated when people's needs changed. People and their relatives had been involved in planning their care.

Relatives were able to raise concerns and the provider took action to improve the care they received. People's views (where possible) about the quality of care they received were gathered and used to drive improvements in care. Additionally people were involved in the running of the home and their views were taken into account when recruiting staff or making changes.

The provider had effective systems in place to monitor the quality of care people received and took action when any concerns were identified. Staff felt supported and were encouraged to develop.