St Vincent House - Gosport

Updated 16 November 2022

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 conducted by one inspector.

Service and service type

St Vincent House Gosport 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 Vincent House Gosport is a care home without 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 not a registered manager in post. There was a manager in post who is submitting an application to register. They are referred to as the manager throughout this report.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 10 October 2022 and ended on 19 October 2022. We visited the service on 10 October 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection, including notifications. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to send to us. We received feedback from the local authority and external professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 20 June 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including, the provider’s nominated individual, who is also one of the providers, the health and safety manager, manager, deputy manager and care staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We observed the care being provided and reviewed a range of records, including eight people's care records and multiple medicine records. We looked at staff files in relation to recruitment and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed. We received feedback from external professionals and seven relatives.

Updated 16 November 2022

About the service

St Vincent House Gosport is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 34 people in one adapted building. The service provides support to older people and those living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 24 people using the service.

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

Risks associated with people's care were not always fully assessed and care plans lacked detail. This included management of known health needs and risks from falls. The provider took immediate action to improve these.

Recruitment practices were safe and there were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. However, a review of where staff were located within the service at any one time, was required. This was so the management of known risks could be improved.

People received their medicines safely and as prescribed. Arrangements were in place for obtaining, recording, administering and disposing of prescribed medicines, but improvements were needed to ensure topical creams were used safely.

People told us they felt safe and were supported by kind, caring staff. Staff knew how to keep people safe from harm. The provider had a policy and procedure for safeguarding adults and the manager and staff understood the signs to look for.

Environmental risks had been considered and acted on where required. Infection, prevention and control processes and up to date policies were in place. The provider, management and staff adhered to the latest government guidance in relation to infection, prevention and control.

There was a clearly defined management structure and regular oversight and input from the provider. There were governance systems in place to identify concerns in the service and drive improvement. However, these had not identified all the concerns we found or ensured action was taken in a timely way.

People, relatives and staff were positive about the management of the service. Staff told us the manager was supportive and approachable.

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 (21 September 2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. The inspection was prompted in part by notification of an incident following which a person using the service died. This incident is subject to further investigation by CQC as to whether any regulatory action should be taken. As a result, this inspection did not examine the circumstances of the incident. However, the information shared with CQC about the incident indicated potential concerns about the management of risk from falls. This inspection examined those risks.

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. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well led sections of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for St Vincent House Gosport on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.