Archived: The Old Rectory Retirement Home

The Old Rectory Retirement Home is a residential care home in Canterbury, Kent providing personal care to older people. The home can support up to 20 people and at the time of the inspection, 15 people were living in the home. The home is a two floor building. Each floor or unit has separate adapted facilities.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found.

The home was safe for people. There were procedures to protect people from abuse and staff understood how to report abuse. Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed. Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff to provide support to people. Risks associated with people's needs were assessed to protect them from harm. Staff followed infection control procedures to maintain the hygiene and cleanliness of the home. Accidents and incidents that had taken place in the home were reviewed to learn lessons to prevent similar incidents from re-occurring. The home's environment and premises was maintained to ensure it was safe.

Staff were provided with suitable training to ensure their skills and knowledge were up to date. Staff felt supported by the management team and received regular supervision to monitor their performance and discuss any issues. 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 eat and drink healthy meals of their choice. The home worked with health care professionals, such as GPs, nurses and dentists to ensure people's health needs were met.

Staff were respectful and caring towards people. Staff knew how to communicate with people who had difficulty speaking. Staff understood the importance of promoting equality and diversity. People were encouraged to maintain their independence as much as they could. Staff interacted and engaged with people throughout the day.

People were protected from social isolation. Activities took place in the home and people were encouraged to participate in them if they wished. People and their relatives were supported to make complaints about the home. People received appropriate end of life care and support.

There were quality assurance systems to monitor the safety of the home through audits, checks and obtaining feedback from people and relatives.

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 10 May 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.

People were safe at the service. Staff knew about abuse and to report any concerns that they had. Risks to people were well-managed and staffing levels were sufficient to ensure people received the care they needed. People's medicines were administered by either the registered manager or senior staff and there were systems in place to ensure that this was done safely.

Staff had the training and support they needed for their roles. 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. Nutritional needs were being met and people received input from healthcare professionals when needed.

There were positive relationships between people and members of staff. Staff adapted their communication and involved people and their families in decisions about their care. People's privacy and dignity was maintained by members of staff.

Care was person-centred. People had individual care plans in place which provided staff with information about specific goals, preferences, needs and abilities. Activities were provided in the service and local community and the feedback of people and their family members, including complaints, was welcomed.

There was a positive culture at the service and staff members were motivated by their roles. The leadership of the service had changed since the last inspection; we found that staff morale was good and staff felt supported, valued and listened to. The registered manager had been in post for around four months and we were told had made many positive changes to the service which had improved the quality of care people received. They had a visible presence and were known to people, relatives and staff. There were quality assurance processes in place to monitor and review the care being provided.

One person who uses the service said 'It is excellent, a home from home.' Another person said 'I have noticed kindness; there is a lot of that here. Basically, the staff are kind and in old age that is important.'

People told us that they felt safe and well looked after. A visiting relative said 'I think the service is magnificent. They give individual care with humour as well as love, care and concern.' Another relative said 'My (relative) is happy here, I am delighted with the home.'

People said they could talk about any problems to the manager and to the staff. People said that they would be listened to and any problem would be sorted out. Everyone we spoke with said they had no complaints about the service.

People said that the home was clean and that their bedrooms were kept clean. People said that they were happy with their bedrooms. People told us that the food was very good and said 'There is always a choice and food is freshly cooked.'

People's health needs were supported and the service worked closely with health and social care professionals to maintain and improve people's health and well being. People said they enjoyed the activities on offer.