Archived: The Old Vicarage

Updated 19 June 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type:

The Old Vicarage is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. There was a manager in post and an application had been submitted to CQC and was being processed.

Notice of inspection: The inspection was unannounced.

What we did:

Before the inspection we reviewed the information, we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse. We reviewed the information we require providers to send us to give key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection, we reviewed a range of records including:

Notifications we received from the service, completed surveys from people who used the service, relatives and professionals. Three care plans, care records, staff files, records of accidents and incidents. Audits and quality assurance reports. We spoke with three people who use the service. We spoke with the manager, the provider, and three staff.

Updated 19 June 2019

About the service: The Old Vicarage is a service for older people which can support up to 39 people. There were 34 people at the service when we inspected, some of whom are living with dementia.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

People’s experience of using this service:

People and their loved ones told us they were happy living at the service. Staff were kind and compassionate, they knew people well and had a good understanding of their support needs.

Staff had the training and support they needed to carry out their roles. A relative told us, “Staff have a great understanding of dementia and that means I know my loved on is safe.”

The provider visited the service regularly and spoke to people and their loved ones to ascertain if there were any concerns. Action was taken to address any issues raised and resolve any complaints. Regular audits were completed by the manager and provider to monitor the quality of care. Incidents were not reviewed to identify themes or trends, this is an area for improvement.

People’s care plans and risk assessments were detailed. They gave staff the guidance they needed to meet people’s needs safely and in the way they preferred. The provider and manager told us they were going to develop the care plans to ensure they were as person centred as possible. Some care plans would benefit from additional details about people’s lifestyle choices.

People told us the food was nice and they always had a choice. Food was prepared in a way which met people’s health needs. Medical professionals were contacted as necessary if people became unwell. 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 were supported to give feedback and suggest new activities or meals for the menu. These suggestions were taken on board. Members of the local church visited regularly and activities designed for those living with dementia were offered.

Rating at last inspection: Good (Published 09 December 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service.