The inspection took place on the 13 September 2016 and it was unannounced.

St Mary’s Residential Care Home is owned by The Institute of Our Lady of Mercy, a congregation of religious women ‘Sisters’ from the catholic denomination founded in Dublin, Ireland in 1831. Their current mission statement describes how their services are built on ‘an ethos of compassion, empowerment, inclusiveness, justice and respect for human dignity’. St Mary’s Residential Care Home is registered to provide accommodation and personal care to 25 people. At the time of our inspection there were 22 older people living at the home who were able to tell us their views on the care they received. St Mary’s Residential Care Home offers support to people from all religious faiths and those who have none. The home also offered respite to people however all people were permanent residents at the time of our inspection.

A registered manager was in post and had been registered with the Commission in September 2015. They were present throughout the inspection. 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.

The home is a detached property situated in a quiet residential area of Worthing, West Sussex. Local shops and other amenities can be easily accessed and it is in close proximity to Worthing seafront. All of the bedrooms offer single occupancy and all have en-suites facilities. In addition, communal toilets and bathrooms are available throughout the home. The home was inviting and maintained to a high standard, corridors have been adapted to meet the needs of people living in the home including people who use walking aids or a wheelchair.

A reception area, which was clearly marked, is in the main foyer which allowed visitors to be easily directed, by staff, to where they needed to be. The home offered a relaxed and friendly environment. Communal areas included a ‘coffee lounge’, a conservatory lounge area, an activities/ meeting room and a spacious dining room. Choices of additional seating were provided around the home to offer people options of where they would like to spend their day. An attractive chapel fitted with stained glass windows is situated towards the rear of the building and is used daily at 10am to hold a service which most residents attend. The service was also attended by members of the public mostly who were connected with a local church which is positioned a few roads away from the home. A large sized garden at the back of the home offers a ‘peaceful’ place for residents to relax and spend time with their families and friends.

People and their relatives told us the home provided a safe service and there was enough staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were able to speak about what action they would take if they had a concern or felt a person was at risk of abuse. Risks to people had been identified and assessed and information was provided to staff on how to care for people safely and mitigate any risks.

People’s medicines were managed safely and administered by staff who had received specific medicine training. The home followed safe staff recruitment practices and provided a thorough induction process to prepare new staff for their role.

Staff implemented the training they received by providing care that met the needs of the people they supported. Staff received regular supervisions and spoke positively about the guidance they received from the registered manager.

Staff understood the requirements under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and about people’s capacity to make decisions. They also understood the associated legislation under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and how to minimise restrictions to people’s freedom.

Pe

There were 24 people living in the home when we visited. The people we spoke with said that they were very happy with the care they received and said that they were treated with respect and dignity. One person who had moved into the care home recently said "I am looked after well here. At home on my own I could not be bothered to cook for myself."

The people we spoke with said that they were supported to retain their independence and consulted about their care and treatment. One person who had been living in the care home for many years said "there is not a single disagreeable member of staff here." This person also said "I hardly ever press the alarm because they anticipate my needs before I do."

The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly and we could see that people’s human rights were respected. The care home smelt fresh and clean and we were able to observe people talking to each other whilst they had their lunch in a bright and airy dining room. We found that people’s diversity, values and human rights were respected and for many of the people living in the home the on-site chapel was important.

We spoke with six members of staff who were appropriately trained and providing high quality care. One member of staff said that "I would happily have my parents here" and it feels "more like a hotel than a care home".

There were 22 people living at the home at the time of the inspection. During our visit we spoke with four people and made observations. We also spoke with one relative and one visiting healthcare professional.

People who used the service were very positive about the care they receive. Each person commented that they were treated with respect and that they could exercise individual choices in their care and treatment. One person said "Everybody here is extremely committed to caring for you."

We observed that the staff were respectful and caring and demonstrated an understanding of individual needs in the planning of care and treatment. A person told us "I couldn't be more comfortable or better fed - my needs are met."

People we spoke with told us that they felt safe at the home and that there were enough staff to meet their needs. One person told us "There is always someone here checking you are safe."

People we spoke with told us that the manager and staff were "good" and that they could talk to them about any suggestions or concerns. We saw that people were involved in regular meetings about the home and services provided and that written information was circulated about activities and changes.

We saw that there was a planned programme of activities which included time set aside for individual requests. One person told us that they had "a lovely christmas; with people coming in to the home and outings to concerts and a pantomime."