St George's (Wigan) Limited

Updated 1 December 2021

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 two inspectors on day one and by one inspector and an Expert by Experience on day two. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

St George’s (Wigan) Limited 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.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. We announced the inspection the day before we visited to discuss the safety of people, staff and inspectors with reference to COVID-19.

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 10 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager, clinical lead, office staff and care workers. 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 seven people’s care records and 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. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 1 December 2021

About the service

St George's Nursing Home provides nursing and residential care and support for up to 62 people in single and shared rooms. At the time of the inspection there were 42 people using the service, in single rooms; this was because the home had begun the process of reducing the number of beds available, turning all double rooms into single rooms. The home is a grade 2 listed building in spacious grounds and close to a wide range of community resources.

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

Staff protected people from abuse and understood how to recognise and report any concerns they had about people's safety and well-being. Staff assessed people's needs before they started using the service. People had been involved in the care planning process, and in identifying their support needs in partnership with staff. Staff managed people's medicines safely. Infection control was managed well and procedures were in place to prevent the spread of infections.

The provider followed safe recruitment processes to ensure the right people were employed. Staff received an induction and ongoing training . There were enough staff to keep people safe. 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. Staff assessed any risks to people's health and wellbeing, and these were mitigated.

Staff had formed genuine relationships with people, knew them well and were caring and respectful towards people and their wishes. Staff were dedicated to their roles and in supporting people to achieve their goals and aspirations. Staff supported people to access healthcare professionals and receive ongoing healthcare support. Staff supported people to share their views and shape the future of the care they received. Care plans provided staff with the information they needed to meet people's needs.

Staff worked with other agencies to provide consistent, effective and timely care. We saw evidence that the staff and management worked with other organisations to meet people's assessed needs. The provider and registered manager followed governance systems which provided effective oversight and monitoring of the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 23 December 2020).The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.

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.