Therese Care Home

Therese Care Home provides residential care for up to 3 people with mental health needs. At the time of our inspection there were 2 people using the service.

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

People told us that Therese Care Home was a safe place to live and they considered it their home. This was due to the length of time they had been living there and the stable staff team that had supported them over the years.

People using the service were kept as safe as possible form harm because staff understood what steps to take reduce and manage any identified risks to them. Staff understood how to protect people from abuse, including who to report any concerns to.

There were enough staff employed to meet people’s needs, including taking them out into the community and supporting them with their personal care and medicines support needs. Medicines were administered safely by staff who had been trained to do so.

The home was clean and hygienic. Staff used Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) effectively.

There was a warm, open culture within the home. We received positive feedback about how the home was run by the manager.

Staff carried out checks to ensure that people continued to receive a good level of care. These included medicines, infection control, health and safety and other checks.

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.

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 August 2018). The overall rating for the service remains good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding.

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 did not inspect the key questions of effective, caring and responsive.

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

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

We found the following examples of good practice.

Facilities were in place to wash hands or use hand sanitiser on entering and leaving the home and visitors were screened for symptoms of acute respiratory infection before being allowed to enter the home. There were signs and instructions to ensure compliance with infection prevention control (IPC).

Staff wore masks, gloves, and aprons when supporting people with personal care and wore Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in areas where social distancing could not be achieved. Use of PPE was in accordance with current government guidelines. Records showed that staff had received training in IPC and PPE.

People were assessed regularly for the development of symptoms of COVID-19. The provider ensured staff were regularly tested for COVID-19 The owner knew how to apply for coronavirus testing kits to test people and staff.

Communal areas such as outdoor spaces and garden areas were used creatively to help with IPC. Staff had cleaning schedules, which they were required to complete and include frequency of cleaning of high touch areas including light switches and door handles.

All members of staff worked in only one care setting. The provider understood and was meeting COVID-19 staff vaccination requirement. This includes, monitoring vaccination and COVID-19 status of deployed staff, ensuring deployed staff maintain an up-to-date vaccination status, including providing guidance and assistance for staff to get vaccinated.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection, we found the service remained Good.

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

Therese Care Home provides personal care and accommodation for three people with mental health needs.

There was a registered manager at the service. 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.

People using the service had lived at the service for several years and told us they felt completely at ease and settled there. They referred to the service as their home. They said staff were caring and friendly and like a family to them. They said the registered manager looked out for them and had their best interests at heart. There was a small, dedicated staff team who had also been at the service for several years, this helped to foster positive, caring relationships with people. There was a homely, friendly feel to the service.

People are 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.

People received support in relation to their medicines and their ongoing health needs. Staff supported people to attend any medical appointments. There was evidence that the provider worked in collaboration with community health and social care teams to provide a good service to people that met their individual needs.

Support plans were in place which reflected people’s current needs. They included details of where people needed support, their level of independence and their preferences in terms of how they liked to be supported. They included any cultural needs that needed to be respected.

People lived independent lives and were supported to access the community and to pursue any hobbies or interests.

People using the service told us they did not have any complaints but if they did, they would speak to staff or the registered manager. They felt confident their concerns would be heard.

The registered manager was aware of the responsibilities of her role. There was an open culture at the service which was reflected in the observed practice we saw on the day of our inspection.

Therese Care Home provides accommodation and support for up to three people with mental health needs. It is situated in a residential area of Tooting with good access to local shops and transport links.

There was a registered manager at the service. 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.

People using the service told us living there felt like home and that staff were caring and treated them nicely. They told us they felt safe living there and if they had any concerns they would speak to the care works or go directly to the registered manager. They said the food at the home was nice and if they had any health concerns then staff would take them to see their doctor or other healthcare professionals.

People had the freedom to live life how they wanted and were able to go out when they wanted. People were consulted and gave their agreement to their care records and care workers asked for their consent before supporting them. The provider was aware of their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA 2005). Any restrictions placed on people were imposed with their informed consent and people understood these restrictions were in place to keep them safe.

There were enough staff employed to meet people’s needs and the provider undertook appropriate recruitment checks for staff, although no one had been employed recently. Care workers told us they were happy with the training they received and felt supported by the registered manager.

Care workers supported people to take their medicines which were stored correctly. Accurate records were kept when staff administered medicines. People were supported to attend healthcare appointments when needed and care records contained correspondence from healthcare professionals which indicated their healthcare needs were being met.

Care records had been reviewed recently and were up to date. They recorded people’s support needs and their level of independence which meant staff were able to support them in an appropriate manner.

The registered manager ran a service that was highly personal and one which felt homely. There was a relaxed, informal atmosphere at the service.

People using the service told us 'I'm well looked after here', 'I'm happy with the way things are' and 'it's alright'. Each person told us that they were treated with dignity and respect by the staff who worked there.

All three people we spoke were positive about the food provided to them with feedback such as 'good food, I like the food here' and 'the food is very good'. One person told us that staff made 'a fantastic fry up at the weekend'.

Each person we spoke to said they were happy living at Therese Care Home and clearly had their own established routines. There may however be scope for further work to take place around looking at how each day could be made different with more focus on engagement, occupation and quality of life.