Francis House

Updated 16 December 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 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 team consisted of 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Francis House 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. Francis House 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 this inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included written notifications about changes, events or incidents the provider must tell us about. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used information that the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well and any improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 5 people who received care at the service and 4 relatives. We observed staff interactions with people and spoke with 3 care staff, including 1 senior. We spoke with the registered manager and looked at 3 people's care plans, medicines records and other records relating to how the service was managed. This included staffing records, meeting minutes, survey results, checks of the quality and safety of people's care and some of the provider’s care policies. We did this to gain people's views about their care and to check standards of care were being met.

Updated 16 December 2023

About the service

Francis House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 8 older people with mental health needs. At the time of this inspection there were 8 people receiving care at the service within one adapted, accessible, single level building. This included individual bedroom accommodation, with some en-suite facilities and a choice of communal bathing, lounge, dining and kitchen areas.

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

Risks to people's safety were effectively assessed and managed. People’s medicines were safely managed to ensure people received their medicines when they should.

The provider was meeting key principles for infection prevention, control and cleanliness at the service, including for COVID-19. Environmental and equipment safety was ensured.

The provider's safeguarding, emergency contingency planning and staffing measures, helped to ensure people’s safety and protect them against the risk of harm or abuse.

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.

The provider operated effective governance arrangements, to ensure the quality and safety of people's care and timely, sustained improvements when needed.

The service was well managed. The registered manager and staff understood their individual role and responsibilities for people’s care. Regulatory requirements were being met. Staff management measures, communication, reporting and record keeping procedures for people’s care, helped to ensure this.

There was an open, positive and inclusive culture at the service, where people and others who were important to them, felt they mattered. Staff were highly motivated and effectively supported, to provide people’s care in the right way.

The provider worked in partnership with people, relevant authorities, care partners and others with an interest in people's care at the service, to help achieve good care outcomes. Feedback from all parties, was used to help inform or improve people’s care, when needed.

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 30 August 2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection due to length of time since our last comprehensive ratings inspection. We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe and Well-led only. 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 remains good, based on the findings of this inspection.

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