Archived: Kingfisher Court

Updated 27 March 2020

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors, an assistant 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

Kingfisher Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service did not have manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. An application to become registered has been received by the CQC. We will monitor the progress of this application. This means that the provider was legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we have received about the service since the provider’s last inspection. This included checking incidents the provider must notify us about, such as serious injuries and abuse. We sought feedback from the local authority, Healthwatch and professionals who work with 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 this information to plan our inspection.

On this occasion, we had not asked the provider to send us a provider Information return (PIR). A PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service. This includes what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. However, we offered the provider the opportunity to share information they felt was relevant during the inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service and 14 relatives and asked them about the quality of the care they or their family member received. We also spoke with four members of care staff, the head housekeeper, lifestyle assistant, kitchen manager, head of care and compliance, the home manager, nominated individual and chief executive officer. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included all or parts of records relating to nine people who used the service. We also reviewed six staff files, training and supervision records and records relating to the safety and management of the service.

After the inspection

We asked the manager to provide us with a variety of policies and procedures and additional information. All information was sent within the required timeframe. We used all this information to help form our judgements detailed within this report.

Updated 27 March 2020

About the service

Kingfisher Court is residential care home which provides accommodation for up to 66 people who require nursing or personal care. At the time of the inspection 38 people were living at the home.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were kept safe from harm. However, the records used to record how risks to people’s safety were monitored were not always fully completed. People were cared for by enough staff to keep them safe. People’s medicines were, overall, safely managed. The home was clean and tidy, and staff understood how to reduce the risk of the spread of infection. Processes were in place that ensured causes of accidents and incidents were investigated and measures put in place to reduce recurrence.

A new management team was in place and they had made efforts to improve the quality of the care people received. Whilst we saw some improvement since our last inspection, we were not yet assured that the quality assurance systems that were in place were fully effective. This meant we were not satisfied, at this moment, that the improvements were sustainable.

People, relatives and staff commented on the improved atmosphere at the home since the new management team was in place. They all found the new manager approachable and willing to listen to any concerns they had. The manager had a good understanding of the regulatory requirements of their role.

People’s needs were assessed to ensure their care was provided in a way that did not cause discrimination. Staff had completed training deemed mandatory by the provider, any gaps had been acted on and courses booked. People were supported to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Where people received care from other agencies as well as this service, the two worked together to provide timely and consistent care. External healthcare professionals spoke positively about the care provided.

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

People received care from kind and caring staff. People liked the staff and felt able to make decisions about their care. People felt listened to and staff acted on their wishes. People received dignified and respectful care. People’s privacy was respected.

People’s personal choices and preferences were considered when care was provided. Care records provided guidance for staff to provide people with care in their preferred way. People were provided with opportunities to avoid social insolation by meeting others and to take part in activities. New staff had been recruited to further improve opportunities available to people. People felt able to make a complaint and were confident their complaint would be acted on. End of life care planning was in place.

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 inadequate (published 9 September 2019). The service's rating has now changed to requires improvement

This service has been in Special Measures since 6 September 2019. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that some improvements had been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.