John Sturrock

Updated 20 May 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 was carried out by 4 inspectors and an Expert by Experience. One inspector specialised in medicines. 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

John Sturrock 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. John Sturrock is a care home with 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 our 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. 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 (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spent time in communal areas observing the care and support provided by staff. We spoke with 12 people who used the service, 1 relative and 14 members of staff including a housekeeper, support workers, head chef, nurses, representatives of the provider and the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included 5 people's care records and multiple people's medicine records. We reviewed 3 staff recruitment files and a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 20 May 2023

About the service

John Sturrock is a care home with nursing care. They provide care to people with mental health needs. John Sturrock accommodates 40 people in a purpose built building. At the time of the inspection there were 40 people using the service.

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

The service had effective systems in place to ensure allegations of abuse or poor care were investigated and acted on. There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to meet people’s needs. Risks associated with people’s care were usually managed safely. Systems were in place for learning lessons when things go wrong. People's medicines were well managed. Safe infection, prevention and control procedures were followed.

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 usually supported this practice.

Staff received the training and formal support they needed for their role. The service worked in partnership with other professionals and supported people to access appropriate healthcare. People had good dining experiences, received a choice of meals and enjoyed the food. The environment was comfortably furnished and suitable to meet people’s needs.

The provider had improved their governance arrangements since the last inspection and were continuing to improve these further. They had systems that were reliable and drove improvement. However, they had systems that were not fully effective which meant risks were not always identified. Records showed people’s care was usually planned, although we saw examples where care plans were not accurate.

The provider and management team were well respected, visible and approachable. Everyone understood the benefits of working alongside external stakeholders. Other professionals provided consistently positive feedback about the service. The service involved people and genuinely welcomed feedback. Staff were proud to work at John Sturrock.

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 11 February 2022) and there were breaches of regulation. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

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 has changed from requires improvement to 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 John Sturrock 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.