The Old Rectory

The Old Rectory is a residential care home for up to 25 people in an adapted property. There were 21 people living in the home at the time of our visit, the majority of whom were living with dementia.

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

People felt safe and were comfortable and relaxed with staff who supported them. Relatives told us they felt their family members were safe and very well cared for. Throughout the inspection we saw kind, relaxed, compassionate and caring interactions between people and staff. We observed that staff were respectful of people and took time to offer support and reassurance when needed.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and there was a core of staff who had worked at the home for a number of years. Staff understood and anticipated people’s needs which contributed to the calm atmosphere at the home.

Staff knew people well and how to identify, assess and mitigate any risks to their safety. Medicines were managed safely and effectively by staff who were trained and competent to do so.

Staff received frequent training, support and supervision and felt supported by the registered manager and provider.

People were supported to maintain a balanced diet. Staff were aware of people's likes and dislikes and any allergies and special diets.

People were supported to maintain their independence and have maximum choice and control in their lives. Where people lacked mental capacity to make decisions, these were made in line with the Mental Capacity Act and staff supported people in the least restrictive way; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Care plans were person centred and they detailed how people wished and needed to be cared for. There was a happy relaxed atmosphere with a wide variety of activities and social stimulation for people. People were able to make choices about their day to day lives and were encouraged to continue to follow their interests.

There was an open and positive culture within the home and people, their relatives, staff and professionals told us the registered manager was approachable and helpful. There were robust management arrangements in place and systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service provided.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for the service under the previous legal entity was Good, published on 8 January 2019.

Why we inspected

This was a comprehensive inspection based on the date the provider was registered with the Care Quality Commission.

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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Old Rectory on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.