CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at St Georges
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People told inspectors they felt safe. Risk assessments, safeguarding procedures, recruitment checks, staffing arrangements and medicines systems were found to be safe.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had suitable training and support. People received help with food, healthcare and communication, and consent and best-interest processes were followed.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. People were involved in decisions and were supported to remain independent.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's preferences and communication needs. People were supported with relationships, activities, holidays and complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found visible and supportive management, good teamwork and effective checks on quality. The manager listened to feedback and shared learning from incidents.
What inspectors found, December 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, with further improvement needed in giving choices and communication.
This was an unannounced inspection on 30 October 2019. The inspector spoke with all five people living in the home, six staff members and reviewed care, medicines, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found safe medicines practice, suitable staffing, trained staff, good support with health and nutrition, and respectful care.
People were supported to make choices, stay independent, see family and friends, and enjoy activities and holidays. The report said the home should improve how it gives people choices about all parts of their care, including communication.
The Good rating means inspectors found the service consistently met the required standards at the time of this inspection. The previous inspection was also rated Good, published on 19 April 2017.
Safe care and medicines
Inspectors found that risks were assessed, staff understood safeguarding, and medicines were given and recorded correctly.
“Medicines were managed safely, medicines were administered as prescribed.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
People said staff were kind and helpful. Inspectors saw positive interactions and respectful support for privacy, dignity and independence.
“We saw staff supporting people in a respectful and dignified manner.” from the report
Personalised support
Care records included detailed information about each person's history, preferences, communication and support needs.
“This supported staff to know the best way to deliver care to a person.” from the report
Activities and community life
People were supported to visit family and friends and to take part in activities, trips and holidays they enjoyed.
“People were able to go on holidays and pursue activities they enjoyed.” from the report
Open management
Staff felt supported and were encouraged to suggest improvements. Management used audits, feedback and incident investigations to monitor and improve the service.
“There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the service.” from the report
Choices and communication
minorThe report identified a need to make sure people are always given choices about every aspect of their care. Communication could also be improved.
“Further improvements would include ensuring people are always given choices over all aspects of their care, including improved communication.” from the report
- 01How do you make sure each person is offered choices about every part of their care?
- 02What communication methods do you use for people who need easy-read information, pictures or other support?
- 03How are positive behaviour support plans reviewed when a person's needs or triggers change?
- 04How do you make sure staffing levels continue to match each person's assessed needs?
- 05How are people's preferred activities, holidays, family visits and community outings planned and reviewed?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five rating areas, including the care provided and the home environment. This explanation was written from the published report of 21 December 2019 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, April 2017
St Georges was rated Good; inspectors found caring, person-centred support, but one-to-one support was not always provided when needed.
This was an unannounced inspection on 26 January 2017. One inspector spoke with three people and six staff, observed care, and checked care, staff recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff in most situations, safe medicines practice, detailed care plans, kind relationships and good support with health, food, activities and choices.
There was one important safety concern. Where people needed one-to-one care to reduce risks, this support was not always provided. Inspectors said this placed people at risk of harm, although the overall rating remained Good.
Personalised care
Care plans included people's histories, preferences and daily routines. Staff used this information to tailor support.
“Care plans were person centred and were regularly reviewed to ensure staff had up to date guidance on people's needs.” from the report
Kind relationships
Inspectors saw a calm and friendly atmosphere. Staff knew people well and supported their aims and interests.
“People were treated with kindness, respect and compassion.” from the report
Good management checks
The provider used audits to identify improvements and checked that action had been taken.
“The quality assurances procedures adopted by the provider were successful in monitoring and improving the quality of service that people living at St Georges received.” from the report
One-to-one support was not always provided
seriousSome people needed one-to-one care to reduce risks to themselves or others. Inspectors found that this support was not always provided and said people were placed at risk of harm.
“However, where people required one to one care to mitigate the risks to them or other people within the home we found that this support was not always provided which placed people at risk of harm.” from the report
- 01Which people currently need one-to-one support, and how do you make sure it is provided at all required times?
- 02What action was taken after inspectors found that one-to-one support was not always provided?
- 03How are staffing levels increased when a person's care or risk needs change?
- 04How often are each person's care plans and risk assessments reviewed?
- 05How do people and their families give feedback, and what changes have been made in response?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC areas, including observations of care and reviews of care, recruitment and management records. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 April 2017 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of St Georges
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- December 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2015
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 23 April 2015.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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What to check when you visit
At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of West Northamptonshire
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £980 to £1,280 a week. 87 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“We can all fully relax around Nyarai and she feels like part of our family, which is no mean feat!”
“If you bump into her in the night on her way to the bathroom she will still inquire how you are and if everything is alright.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.