The Sylvester Care Centre

Updated 9 February 2023

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.

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 carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Sylvester Care Centre is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 10 January 2023 and ended on 14 January 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and commissioners who work with the service. We also looked at information we had received and held on our system about the home, this included notifications sent to us by the provider and information passed to us by members of the public. The provider did not complete the required Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about the service, what it does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 4 people who lived at Sylvester, 4 members of staff the registered manager and area manager. In addition, we spoke with a visiting relative at the time of the inspection visit. We observed staff interaction with people, also, we reviewed a range of records. These included care records of 2 people, medication records, and 2 staff files in relation to recruitment. We also reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service. We had a walk around the premises and looked at infection control measures.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We looked at the quality assurance systems the provider had in place and staff training records.

Updated 9 February 2023

About the service

The Sylvester Care Centre is a care home providing personal care to 25 people who live with dementia and other mental health conditions. There is passenger lift access to all floors and sufficient bathing facilities to meet people's needs. The Sylvester Care Centre will be referred to as Sylvester within this report. At the time of the inspection there were 24 people who lived at the home.

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

Designated staff kept the building clean and tidy and maintenance checks were in place. Staff were seen to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) as latest guidance stated. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s care needs. Staff were employed following a thorough recruitment process. Safeguarding training was mandatory and with regular updates, staff were aware of the processes to follow to enable people to be safe. Risks were assessed and carefully monitored to ensure individuals safety and promoted their independence within a risk framework. People received their medicines safely.

The registered manager had a training programme to support staff to improve their skills and knowledge. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. The registered manager had good systems to reduce the risk of malnutrition and monitor people’s food and drink intake to ensure people received appropriate care and support.

The registered manager had auditing systems to maintain ongoing oversight of the service and make improvements where necessary. Surveys had recently been sent out to people, relatives and health and social care professionals. Responses had all been positive. Quality assurance systems ensured people were able to give their views of the service verbally in structured ‘resident meetings’. One person said, “You can talk to [registered manager] and if I suggest something at the meetings they are seen to.” People were happy with the way the home was managed and staff felt valued and enjoyed working at Sylvester. The registered manager provided an open, inclusive environment. People, relatives and staff told us the registered manager was approachable and very supportive. A relative said, “They have great staff and such a caring, compassionate manager in charge.”

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 29 January 2020).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm. Please see the safe, effective and well-led sections of this full report.

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

The overall rating has remained good.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Sylvester Care Centre 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.