Antokol

Updated 18 March 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 1 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 18 March 2021

About the service

Antokol is a ‘care home’ providing personal and nursing care to 33 people at the time of the inspection. The home can support up to 36 people. The home is owned by a Polish charity. It was established by Polish residents after the second World War. It has a strong Polish ethos and mainly, but not exclusively, provides care and support to people with strong Polish links. Antokol was providing care to some people living with dementia.

People’s experience of using this service

The home was rated Outstanding in Caring at our last inspection. The service continued to be Outstanding in the way they cared for people. Staff continued to offer people care and support that was exceptionally compassionate and kind. People were supported to meet their spiritual and religious needs by the provision of daily services and the Christian ethos of the home was reflected in the attitude of the staff and their approach to care.

The service had safeguarding and whistleblowing policies and procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures. Appropriate recruitment checks had taken place before staff started work and there were enough staff available to meet people’s care and support needs. People’s medicines were managed safely. Risks to people had been assessed to ensure their needs were safely met. The service had procedures in place to reduce the risk of infections.

People’s care and support needs were assessed when they started to use the service. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to support people appropriately. Staff were supported through induction, training and regular supervision. People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet and had access to health care professionals when they needed them. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People and their relatives (where appropriate) had been consulted about their care and support needs. People planned for activities that met their needs and preferences and they were supported to follow their interests. Staff had a clear understanding of people’s needs and had developed positive relationships with them and their family members. The home had a complaints procedure in place and people and their relatives said they were confident their complaints would be listened to and acted on. There were procedures in place to make sure people had access to end of life care and support when it was required.

The registered manager was proactive in seeking new ways to make improvements for the people living at the home. They worked in partnership with health and social care providers to plan and deliver an effective service. They motivated and encouraged staff to develop their professional and leadership and skills. The provider took people, their relatives, staff and professionals views into account through satisfaction surveys. Staff enjoyed working at the home and said they received good support from the registered manager. A person using the service had also been involved educating school children about Polish history. This reinforced the home’s role in the local community.

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 Good (published 13/04/2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.