St Georges Care Home

Updated 11 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 1 inspector.

Service and service type

St Georges Care Home 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. St Georges Care Home 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 not 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.

The provider has chosen to have a registered manager to oversee the running of the home. 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 looked at the information we had received from and about the service since the last inspection.

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 spoke with 7 people who lived at the home and 6 members of staff. The registered manager was available throughout the inspection.

We carried out general observations in communal areas throughout the day.

We looked at a variety of records relating to people’s individual care and the running of the home. These included 2 staff personal files, records of audits, a sample of medicines administration records, health and safety records and 3 care plans.

Updated 11 May 2023

About the service

St Georges Care Home is a residential care home which is registered to provide personal care and accommodation to up to 20 people. The home specialises in the care of older people. At the time of our inspection there were 15 people using the service.

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

Everyone we spoke with praised the staff and the care they received at St Georges Care Home. People felt safe and well cared for.

There were sufficient numbers of staff employed to make sure people received care and support when they needed it.

People received their medicines safely from staff who had undertaken specific training in medicines administration and management.

Staff were following good infection prevention and control practices which helped to protect people against the spread of infection.

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.

People’s care was person-centred, and staff treated people as individuals. Each person had a detailed care plan which gave information about them as a person and their wishes and preferences, as well as their needs.

People were able to make choices about their day to day lives and told us staff fitted around their preferred routines.

People were able to take part in a variety of organised activities or follow their own interests. Transport was available to support people to go on trips out.

The home was well led by a registered manager who was open and approachable. People told us they were able to share their views openly. People said they would be comfortable to make a complaint if they were unhappy with the care they received.

People could be confident that the registered manager and provider had systems in place to monitor quality and plan ongoing improvements. The registered manager was pro-active in addressing any shortfalls highlighted in audits and information received.

Staff worked in partnership with other professionals to make sure people received care and treatment to meet their individual needs.

Staff felt well supported in their roles which led to a happy relaxed atmosphere for people to live in.

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 Outstanding (report published 23 November 2018)

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service and the length of time since the last inspection.

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.

This was a focused inspection looking at safe, responsive and well-led key questions only. 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 St Georges Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

The overall rating for the service has changed from outstanding to good based on the findings of this inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.