09 Oct 2014
During a routine inspection
This inspection took place on 9 October 2014 and was unannounced which meant the provider did not know that we were coming. The service met the regulations we looked at during their last inspection which took place on 22 November 2013.
St James' Care Home (12) provides accommodation for up to five people with learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection, there were four people using the service. It is located in Balham, close to local amenities and transport links. It shares staff with a sister home based at number 21. The home is arranged over three floors with a kitchen and dining area, separate lounge and a garden on the ground floor. The bedrooms were on all three floors and the staff office was located on the top floor.
There was a registered manager at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 and associated regulations about how the service is run.
We found that there were inconsistencies in some of the care records viewed. People’s individual care needs were not being recorded in a timely manner which meant that people were not always receiving a service that met these. Therefore the provider was not meeting the requirement of the law in relation to meeting people’s individual care needs. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.
We found that issues that had been identified during meetings held for people using the service were not always followed up promptly. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.
Relatives of people using the service were happy with the care their family member received from staff. They told us they had no concerns about their safety. Staff felt supported and content working at the home. They received effective training and formal supervision.
People using the service required different levels of support. For example, when preparing meals some people required more assistance than others. We saw that staff supported people to be as independent as possible, for example, through the use of specially adapted cutlery. Staff followed guidelines from healthcare professionals when supporting people.
Staff were familiar with the needs of people using the service and we saw them supporting people in a caring manner. Healthcare professionals told us they had established good links with the home and communicated with them to meet the needs of people using the service.