St Bartholomews Court Nursing Home is a care home providing nursing care and support. The service is made up of two units. One unit provides nursing and personal care to people who live at the service. The second unit provides intermediate and rehabilitation for people being discharged from hospital or to prevent people being admitted to hospital. All bedrooms are situated on the ground floor of the building. The service can support up to 51 people. At the time of this inspection 46 people were using the service.

At our last inspection in December 2015 we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good.

Feedback provided from people included “I feel safe because there are plenty of staff around all of the time”, “The [staff] are lovely and you would think they had known me all my life” and “[Staff] are fantastic, very helpful, caring and friendly.” Family members also spoke positively about the service. Their comments included “My mum eats well and enjoys her food. She can eat herself but is always encouraged as she loses interest”, “My relative is supported with meals and this is done in a patient manner” and “My relative's life has been enhanced since moving to the home, she loves the company and all the staff.”

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

Procedures were in place to protect people from abuse and staff had a good understanding of these procedures. People’s medicines were safely managed to ensure that they received their medicines when they should.

Safe recruitment procedures remained in place to help ensure that only people suitable for the role were employed to deliver care and support to people.

People were supported by a staff team who received regular training for their role.

People’s dietary needs were met and people told us they enjoyed the meals that were provided. Local health care professionals were accessible to people when needed. People using the short term reablement service had access to health care professionals to plan and support with their recovery.

People told us they felt cared for, and that they were able to make choices about where they went around the service, the times they got up and went to bed and the meals they ate.

Individual care plans gave the opportunity to assess people’s needs and plan how their care was to be delivered. Specific care plans were available for use for people who were in receipt of end of life care. People had access to activities within the service to offer mental stimulation. A complaints procedure was in place which people and their family members had access to. People and their family members were asked for their views on the service.

Policies and procedures were in place to promote safe, effective care and support to people. Multi-agency working took place with the local Clinical Commissioning Group and hospital to ensure that people in receipt of short term reablement support had their needs met. Regular audits were carried out to ensure that people were in receipt of safe and effective care and support.

This was an unannounced inspection carried out on 17 December 2015.

St Bartholomews is a purpose built nursing home. The service is a non profit making organisation and has registered charity status. The service is registered to accommodate up to 51 people. The service has 20 beds which are used to admit people from hospital that require intermediate and rehabilitation care. People receiving intermediate and rehabilitation care were supported by a multi-disciplinary team. These included occupational therapists, physiotherapists, social workers and the homes nursing and care staff.

A registered manager was in post. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the last inspection in October 2013 we found that the service was meeting all of the regulations that we assessed.

Procedures were in place to protect people from abuse and staff had a good understanding of these procedures.

Systems were in place to ensure that medicines were managed appropriately and to ensure that people received their medicines when they needed them.

Procedures were in place that would enable people to be evacuated safely in the event of an emergency.

Sufficient numbers of staff were on duty to meet the needs of people who used the service. Effective recruitment procedures were in place that helped minimise the risk of people not suitable to work with vulnerable people being employed.

People’s needs were assessed to ensure that the service had the facilities to meet their individual needs.

Health care professionals were available to support people with their specific health needs and to ensure that people received the care and support they required.

Systems were in place for the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and to ensure that people’s rights in respect of the Act were upheld.

People’s dietary needs were catered for. Staff responsible for planning people’s meals had a good awareness of individuals’ specific dietary requirements.

People were supported by a staff team who received regular training and support in order for them to deliver safe and effective care.

Systems in place ensured that people received the care and support they wanted as they approached their end of life.

People’s care plans were developed in a manner that promoted person centred care and they contained detailed information for staff as to how and when people’s needs were to be met.

People had the opportunity to participate in activities at the service to help maintain their physical and psychological health and wellbeing.

A compliants procedure was in place and people were confident that any complaints they had would be listened to.

Effective systems were in place to monitor the service that people received.  This helped ensure that any improvements needed to the service would be identified quickly and addressed.

During our inspection we looked at care records, the homes duty rota and undertook a tour of the building. We observed the quality of care and support provided by staff during the inspection. We spoke with the manager and a number of people living at the home, people visiting and staff throughout the inspection.

We found staffing levels were adequate with an appropriate skill mix to meet the needs of people using the service. The home was clean and hygienic with good infection control procedures in place. Good care practices were observed and people were having their nutritional needs met.

We spoke with people receiving nursing care, and people receiving support with their rehabilitation following discharge from hospital. Comments received were all positive about the care being provided. One person said, “I have lived here for a number of years and I couldn’t receive better care anywhere. The staff provide the highest standards you could possibly expect. There is always plenty of staff on duty and they are available if you need them. The food is exceptional”. One person receiving rehabilitation care said, “My care has been very good. I am in no hurry to go home”.

During our inspection we contacted the Knowsley council’s contracts monitoring team. They told us they had no concerns with the service being provided by the home.

People said “the home is lovely” and “the staff talk to me about how I like to be looked after.”

The people we spoke with said that they liked living in St.Bartholomew’s Court and could make choices about how they spent their day.

People told us “it is lovely here , I can stay in my room if I want to”

“there are things to do but if you don’t want to join in it is ok to say no”

“I can choose what I want to do, the staff are very supportive”

Other comments such as “I like living here” were made. One person said “I am asked how I like to be looked after and the staff are always there for you.”

People told us “the food is second to none and I have enjoyed being here.” “the staff talk to you all the time and treat you like a person.”

People spoken with said that they felt safe at St. Bartholomew’s Court and knew who to speak with if they had any problems. People said “I would talk to the manager she sorts everything out” and “you can speak to any of the staff at any time, day or night if you have any worries.”

People were complimentary about the staff team. Comments such as “the staff are marvellous;” “the staff are brilliant;” “all the staff are wonderful;” “it is a lovely place” were made by people living at the home. They said that the staff asked for their views on the routines at the home and they have meetings with the manager to discuss anything they wanted to.