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Inspection on 13/08/09 for St Albans House

Also see our care home review for St Albans House for more information

This is the latest available inspection report for this service, carried out on 13th August 2009.

it is an annual review prepared by CQC after examining previous reports and information from the provider. At the time of this report, CQC judged the service to be Good.

The inspector made no statutory requirements on the home as a result of this inspection and there were no outstanding actions from the previous inspection report.

What follows are excerpts from this inspection report. For more information read the full report on the next tab.

Annual service review Name of Service: St Albans House The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: two star good service 2 4 0 9 2 0 0 8 A quality rating is our assessment of how well a care home, agency or scheme is meeting the needs of the people who use it. We give a quality rating following a full review of the service. We call this review a ‘key’ inspection We do an annual service review when there has been no key inspection of the service in the last 12 months. It does not involve a visit to the service but is a summary of new information given to us, or collected by us, since the last key inspection or annual service review.   Has this annual service review changed our opinion of the service?   No You should read the last key inspection report for this service to get a full picture of how well outcomes for the people using the service are being met. The date by which we will do a key inspection: Name of inspector: Christine Grafton Date of this annual service review: 1 3 0 8 2 0 0 9 Annual Service Review Page 1 of 6 Information about the service Address of service: 12-13 The Grove Deal Kent CT14 9TL 01304374243 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address:   stalbans2007@btconnect.com Name of registered provider(s): Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : old age, not falling within any other category Conditions of registration: Deal Old People`s Housing Society Limited Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 19 The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is 19 The registered person may provide the following category/ies of service only: Care home only - PC to service users of the following gender: Either whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following categories: Old age, not falling within any other category - OP Have there been any changes in the ownership, management or the No service’s registration details in the last 12 months? If yes, what have they been: Date of last key inspection: Date of last annual service review (if applicable): Brief description of the service St Albans House is a 19-bedded residential home for older people, set in a quiet residential area of Deal, and owned by a Charitable Housing Trust. Deal is a seaside town, which benefits from good amenities and public transport links. The town centre is approximately half a mile from St Albans House. The home is set over three floors and comprises of spacious communal areas including lounges, a large dining room and a galley conservatory. All bedrooms are currently used for single occupancy, are well equipped, and thoughtfully decorated. There are large gardens and car parking to the Annual Service Review Page 2 of 6 2 4 0 9 2 0 0 8 rear and side of the home. The fees for the service at the time of our last visit of 24th September 2008 were in the range of £303.00 to £350.86p per week. Information on the homes services and our inspection reports for prospective service users will be detailed in the Statement of Purpose and Service User Guide. Annual Service Review Page 3 of 6 Service update since the last key inspection or annual service review: What did we do for this annual service review? What did we do for this annual service review We looked at all the information that we have received, or asked for, since the last Key Inspection. This included: The Annual Quality Assurance Assessment (the Assessment) that was sent to us by the Registered Provider. This is a self assessment that focuses on how well outcomes are being met for people using the Service. It also gives us some numerical information about the Service. Information that we have about how things are going in the Service. What the Registered Provider has told us about things that have happened in the Service. These are called notifications and are a legal requirement. The previous Key Inspection. Relevant information from other organisations. What other people have told us about the service. What has this told us about the service? The home sent us their annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) when we asked for it. This was clear and comprehensive, giving us all the information requested. Our last inspection of 24th September 2008 indicated that they were ensuring good outcomes for the people living in the home. The last report and AQAA shows that they continue to seek peoples views and make changes as a result of listening to them. They do this by giving out annual quality assurance questionnaires to residents and their families, holding residents meetings twice a year and operating an open door policy, which means that residents and their families know that they can talk to the manager and senior staff team at any time. They make sure that any suggestions and comments are considered and if any changes are required they will be implemented. Their AQAA shows that they have made changes in the last twelve months to improve things for residents. Since our last inspection, they have employed an activities coordinator, and have an in house exercise provider once a fortnight. They have more in house entertainers. They have reviewed their menus to include a wider variety of foods, taken from residents feedback. They have purchased a number of aids and equipment, including, three new beds with four section mattress support, to provide first class positioning to meet the needs of the individual. They have also provided three new wheeled commodes, two glide sheets, two memory foam foot supports for palliative care, a third rota stand and new bed linen. All communal areas have been re painted and new carpet fitted in the ground floor passage ways. Annual Service Review Page 4 of 6 They have continued with their staff training programme. Their AQAA states that out fifteen staff, thirteen have a national vocational qualification (NVQ) in care level 2 or above, including six with level 3 and one with level 4. They also encourage all staff to achieve recognised qualifications in dementia awareness, equality and diversity, infection control, palliative care, safer handling of medicines and moving and handling. They recognise the importance of treating all individuals equally. The manager and senior deputy have attended training on the Mental Capacity Act and deprivation of liberties and they say they are in the process of putting together in house training for all other staff. They have ensured that staff attend training on how to protect people, which is sometimes referred to as adult protection training. Our last report indicates that they have thorough recruitment procedures in place and the AQAA states that they have followed up on a recommendation made to reorganise staff files. They state in their AQAA that St Albans philosophy of care is to provide its residents with a secure, relaxed environment in which their care, well being and comfort are of prime importance. They say they do this through programmes of activities designed to encourage mental alertness, self-esteem and social interaction with other residents, with recognition of the core values of privacy, dignity, rights, choice and fulfillment. They say that they provide a well maintained homely environment, where their residents feel safe and secure and that they feel they meet residents needs well on an individual basis. Their AQAA and other information we have indicates this to be true. They have shown that they have plans in place to continue to develop the service that they provide. They are looking into providing an audio version of their statement of purpose and service users guide and are considering providing a pavilion for the garden for residents to sit in. The AQAA indicates they have not received any complaints since our last inspection. They have continued to let us know about things that have happened since our last inspection. There has not been anything out of the ordinary that has caused us to be concerned. Our overall judgement is that the service continues to provide a good quality of care for the people who have made St Albans their home. What are we going to do as a result of this annual service review? We are not going to change our inspection plan and we are going to complete a Key Inspection by September 2010. However, we can inspect the Service at any time, if we have concerns about the quality of the Service or about the safety of the people using the Service. Annual Service Review Page 5 of 6 Reader Information Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Annual service review CQC General Public 0870 240 7535 (national contact centre) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. The content of which can be found on our website. Helpline: Telephone: 03000 616161 Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk Web: www.cqc.org.uk We want people to be able to access this information. If you would like a copy of the findings in a different format or language please contact our helpline or go to our website. Copyright © (2009) Care Quality Commission (CQC). This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, free of charge, in any format or medium provided that it is not used for commercial gain. This consent is subject to the material being reproduced accurately and on proviso that it is not used in a derogatory manner or misleading context. 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