St Joseph's Convent Nursing Home

St Joseph's Covent Nursing Home is a 'care home' located in Stafford. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

St Joseph's Covent Nursing Home accommodates up to 46 people in one adapted building. At the time of this inspection there were 40 people using the service.

The service had two registered managers in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At our last inspection of the service on 8 January 2018 we found people were not always protected from avoidable harm because unexplained injuries had not been investigated and reported to the local safeguarding authority as required. Action had not been taken to reduce the likelihood of similar injuries occurring again.

At this inspection we saw improvements had been made and now incidents were identified, recorded, referred and investigated appropriately.

We also found improvements had been made to the management of risks. Most assessments were personalised meaning they reflected people's individual needs and preferences.

People felt that activities could be improved and the registered managers could demonstrate they were looking to address this.

People received their medicines safely and appropriately. Improvements to recording processes meant that records now reflect this.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty at any one time to meet people's needs in a safe way. The registered managers had recruited a full complement of staff to ensure a consistent staff team.

Staff received regular support and supervision and the provider followed safe recruitment procedures to ensure that appropriate staff were employed. Staff felt well trained to carry out their role effectively and meet people's individual needs. Competency was regularly checked to ensure effective care was delivered.

There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk of the spread of infection.

The provider followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People were supported to have choice and control of their care and support. People's decisions and choices were listened to and respected.

People's health and well-being was monitored and supported and needs were being met by staff and with the appropriate support from health professionals. People's nutritional and dietary needs were catered for.

Staff were kind and respectful and they knew people well. People's privacy was respected and staff supported people to maintain their dignity. Staff had a good knowledge of people's needs. We received positive feedback regarding staff and how peoples' needs were met.

Care plans were sufficiently detailed and person-centred, giving members of staff and external professionals relevant information when providing care to people who used the service. Information was reviewed and updated to ensure staff could deliver responsive support as people's needs changed.

There were effective procedures in place to respond to any concerns or complaints. The registered managers responded promptly and effectively to 'niggles' and this ensured that issues were responded to informally and quickly.

The registered managers were approachable and responsive. People were involved and consulted about the running of the home. People who used the service and their representatives were regularly asked for their views about their support through questionnaires and feedback forms. The registered managers also spent time observing care and support to enable them to gather views informally.

Quality assurance measures were now more effective and systems were in place to check the quality of the care delivered by senior staff, registered managers and senior managers within the organisation.

There were a number of effective management systems in place and these monitored the quality and safety of the service provided. Although some areas still required more in depth monitoring the registered managers were knowledgeable of the service's strengths and areas where ongoing improvements were required. They were acting upon these.

The registered managers were aware of the requirement to notify the commission of significant events and their quality rating was being displayed prominently within the home.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found