Background to this inspection
Updated
19 October 2019
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
This inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
Kirkwood Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.
We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch about the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with seven people who used the service and 12 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 12 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, the provider’s regional manager, and nine care staff. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.
We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and medicines records. We looked at records relating to the management of the service, including staffing rotas, recruitment records and policies and procedures.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.
Updated
19 October 2019
About the service
Kirkwood Court is a residential care home which accommodates up to 72 older people, in one purpose built building. Care is provided over three floors, including one floor, known as the Grace unit, for people living with dementia related conditions. Nursing care is not provided at the home. At the time of our inspection there were 66 people living at the home.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and relatives were very positive about Kirkwood Court. They spoke highly of the staff team and how well they were cared for. The management team had worked hard since our last inspection to deliver the improvements required. They had strengthened the checks they carried out to monitor the quality of the service.
There were now enough staff to support people. Staffing levels had increased since our last inspection. Safe recruitment procedures were followed. Staff regularly checked the building and equipment to make sure it was safe. Medicines processes had improved.
Staff had the skills and experience to meet people's needs. People told us they were well supported. They had access to a range of health professionals, when required. People told us there was lots of food on offer, and that it was usually good quality. People’s nutritional needs were known and met.
Care was provided in a person-centred way. Staff knew people well. People and relatives told us staff were kind and treated them well. Families were welcomed into the home. Staff supported people to be as independent as they could be.
Staff knew people’s needs and their preferences for how they would like to receive their care. These were usually well documented although at times records had not been updated where needs had changed. There were a range of activities and events on offer for people to take part in.
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.
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:
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 31 July 2018). At that inspection we found two breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
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.