St George's Hotel

St Georges Hotel is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 22 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people using the service.

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

Checks and records were not all completed to ensure the safety of the people living at the service. Practice fire evacuations had not been completed and information to monitor people’s health needs had not always been recorded correctly. Action taken following advice from a healthcare professional was not always recorded. This meant it could not be monitored.

Medicines were not always managed, administered or checked in line with best practice. This increased the risk of errors.

Staff had received training appropriate for their role; however, when practical in-house training had been delivered, there were no records staff had received this. Some improvements were required in relation to safe staff recruitment.

The new provider had completed audits and checks of the service including engaging an external consultant to complete a mock inspection of the service. They had used the results of these to produce an action plan to improve the service; however, some improvements identified in the inspection had not been highlighted in the provider’s checks.

People felt safe living at the service and staff understood their responsibilities for keeping people safe and reporting any concerns. Staff understood people’s health needs and sought external support promptly when necessary.

People told us they liked the food but people who had specific dietary needs or wishes sometimes had limited options available to them.

People’s rooms were personalised to reflect their tastes. The provider had a plan in place to improve the premises and decor.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff knew people well and were responsive to their needs. People and relatives told us staff were caring and kind. One person told us, “I couldn't be looked after better.” Staff described how they protected people’s privacy and dignity and promoted their independence where possible. The provider told us they were in the process of increasing the opportunities and activities available to people.

The provider had ensured people, relatives and staff had been consulted about the quality of the service and had listened to and acted upon any changes suggested.

People, staff and relatives gave positive feedback about their experience of the service. Staff felt supported in their roles and were positive about the registered manager and the provider.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

This service was registered with us on 6 September 2021 and this is the first inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, (published 29 May 2018).

At that inspection we recommended that the provider reviewed their systems for infection prevention and control, involved people in the content of their care plans and sought their agreement to its content. At this inspection we found these areas had improved.

Why we inspected

We completed this inspection to provide a rating for this previously unrated service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified a breach in relation to the safety of people’s care and treatment at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

We also made recommendations in relation to recruitment practices, how staff training and care provided to people is evidenced and how people’s dietary needs and preferences are catered for.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.