Vicarage Court Care Home

Updated 20 January 2022

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.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 11 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 20 January 2022

About the service

Vicarage Court is a care home providing personal and nursing care to younger disabled adults and people aged 65 and over, including people living with dementia. The service can support up to 80 people in one adapted building over three floors. At the time of this inspection there were 63 people living at Vicarage Court.

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

People, their relatives and staff comments about staffing levels were mixed. We saw there were busy times during the day of the inspection when people had to wait to receive support from staff. For example, at meal times some people had to wait for support to eat their meal. We have made a recommendation the provider and registered manager consider the comments made by people and staff and take into account our observations when calculating staffing levels and the deployment of staff during busy times. During the inspection the registered manager and provider agreed they would review staffing levels and the deployment of staff.

Medicines were stored safely and securely. People received their medicines as prescribed. Further guidance for staff on the use of as and when required (PRN) medicines was being developed.

The provider had effective recruitment procedures in place to make sure staff had the required skills and were of suitable character and background. Staff understood what it meant to protect people from abuse. They told us they were confident any concerns they raised would be taken seriously by the registered manager.

Staff were provided with an induction, relevant training and ongoing support to make sure they had the right skills and knowledge to support people. People told us they enjoyed the food served at Vicarage Court, which we saw considered their dietary needs and preferences. People were assisted to maintain their health by being provided with a balanced diet and supported to access a range of health and social care professionals.

Staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. 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.

Positive and supportive relationships had been developed between people, their relatives and staff. People told us they were treated with dignity and respect and we saw this throughout the day of the inspection.

There was a range of activities available to people living at Vicarage Court. People were supported to engage in activities that were important to them. There was an up to date complaints policy and procedure readily available to people. People, their relatives and staff told us the registered manager and provider were approachable and responsive to any issues raised.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Safety and maintenance checks for the premises and equipment were in place and up to date. The provider had policies and procedures which reflected current legislation and good practice guidance.

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 requires improvement (published 3 August 2018). At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the service is now rated good.

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.