CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at St Mary's Residential Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Risks such as falls, choking, diabetes and skin damage were assessed and managed. Medicines, safeguarding, recruitment and infection control systems were found to be safe, although some people and relatives questioned whether there were enough staff.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs and choices were assessed, and staff had suitable training and supervision. Inspectors said not all staff showed a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, and further training was arranged.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff were mostly compassionate, respectful and attentive to people's individual needs. Inspectors observed one isolated incident of shouting, and some people wanted staff to spend more time talking with them.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were detailed, personalised and regularly updated. People were supported with communication, activities, relationships, complaints and end of life wishes.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The management team had comprehensive checks on care quality, risks, staff practice and people's experiences. Staff, people and relatives said the management team was approachable and supportive.
What inspectors found, May 2022
St Mary's Residential Care Home rated Good; inspectors found kind, personalised care, with mixed views about staffing levels.
This was an unannounced inspection on 28 March 2022. One inspector and an expert by experience spoke with people, relatives, visitors, staff and professionals. They reviewed care, medicine and management records, watched care being provided and looked around the home.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that people were protected from avoidable harm, received their medicines as prescribed and had care plans that explained their needs, routines and preferences.
People were treated with kindness and respect. Staff knew people well, supported their choices, helped with food and drink, and arranged activities and healthcare support. The management team had systems to monitor quality and learn from incidents and concerns.
Personalised care
Staff knew people's likes, dislikes, routines and life histories. Care plans gave clear guidance about how each person wanted to be supported.
“Peoples' care plans contained clear information to enable staff to meet their needs; this included information about people's daily routines, how they liked to spend their time and what staff could do to support them.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Inspectors saw warm and caring interactions. People were supported with dignity, privacy, independence and their spiritual needs.
“Overall staff were patient and spoke with and about people in a caring a respectful way.” from the report
Safe care systems
Risks were assessed, medicines were managed safely and staff understood how to respond to safeguarding concerns. Infection prevention arrangements were also found to be effective.
“Risk assessments gave detailed guidance to staff on how to minimise the risks identified.” from the report
Strong management checks
The home used audits, feedback and reviews to monitor care and make improvements. It also recorded learning from incidents and concerns.
“There was a strong framework of accountability to monitor performance and risk leading to the delivery of demonstrable quality improvements to the service.” from the report
Further legal rights training
needs fixingNot all staff could clearly explain the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The manager said further training had already been arranged.
“Not all staff demonstrated a clear knowledge of the MCA and DoLS in our discussions with them.” from the report
One incident of shouting
minorInspectors saw one isolated incident in which a staff member shouted to a person. This was raised with the manager, who dealt with it.
“We observed an isolated incident of a staff member shouting out to a person.” from the report
- 01How many staff are normally on duty during the day and night, and how do you respond if someone is absent?
- 02Has all relevant staff training on the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards now been completed?
- 03What action was taken after the incident where a staff member shouted to a person, and how do you check that people are treated respectfully?
- 04How much one-to-one time and access to activities can each person expect?
- 05How often will my relative's care plan be reviewed, and how will their preferences and changing needs be recorded?
This was the first inspection of the newly registered service and covered all five key questions, including infection prevention and control measures related to COVID-19. This explanation was written from the published report of 14 May 2022 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, September 2020
Inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured that St Mary's Residential Care Home had good infection prevention and control measures.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 28 August 2020. It focused only on infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic.
Inspectors found good arrangements for visiting, social distancing and use of space. Visitors completed checks and received instructions about infection precautions. The home used separate areas for professional appointments and arranged socially distanced visits.
Inspectors were assured about the home's infection control arrangements, including personal protective equipment, testing, admissions, cleaning and managing possible outbreaks. The home was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give a full quality rating.
Managed visiting
Visits were arranged in advance. Visitors completed a checklist and were told about infection precautions when they arrived.
“Visiting was by arrangement and people were required to complete a due diligence checklist and instructed on the infection precautions required for visiting the home on arrival.” from the report
Social distancing
The home used signs, furniture arrangements and different areas to help people maintain social distance during visits, meals and activities.
“There was clear signage in corridors and communal areas reminding people of the need to social distance and furniture had been arranged in accordance with this.” from the report
Infection controls
Inspectors were assured that the home used protective equipment safely, provided access to testing and kept its infection control policy up to date.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are visits currently arranged, and what infection precautions must visitors follow?
- 02How do you support social distancing during meals, activities and visits now?
- 03How do you provide testing for residents and staff, and what happens if there is a suspected outbreak?
- 04When was the infection prevention and control policy last updated?
- 05What information can you provide about care quality areas that this targeted inspection did not assess?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control measures only; the service was inspected but not rated and the other quality areas were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 September 2020 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 Mary's Residential Care Home
3 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- May 2022Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at St Mary's Residential Care Home →
- September 2020Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at St Mary's Residential Care Home →
- July 2019Outstandingup from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- November 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2019
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 22 November 2019.
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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28 live-in carers within about an hour of West Sussex
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 £1,020 to £1,170 a week. 23 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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