All inspections: Kingsway - Care Quality Commission

This unannounced inspection took place on 14 January 2016. At our last inspection visit on 11 November 2013, the provider was meeting the regulations we looked at. Kingsway is a residential home providing accommodation for up to eleven younger adults with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection there were seven people living at the home.

The home did not have a registered manager 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.

People told us they felt safe living at the home. Staff knew how to keep people safe from the risk of harm or abuse and knew how to report concerns. Risks to people were identified and were managed in a way that supported people to remain independent. People received their medicines on time and as prescribed. Medicines were stored safely and securely.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to meet people’s individual needs. The provider ensured staff recruited to posts were trained to meet the care needs of people living at the home. People were supported to access healthcare professionals when required to ensure their health needs were met.

Staff gained people’s consent before carrying out care and support and the provider had taken appropriate action to ensure people’s rights were protected. People enjoyed the food and had choices regarding their meals. Staff were kind and caring. Staff understood people’s choices and preferences and respected their dignity when providing care. People had access to a wide range of different leisure activities and were supported to maintain relationships that were important to them. People knew how to make a complaint and felt their concerns would be listened to. Relatives told us they felt comfortable raising any concern or complaint with the provider or staff members.

There were audit systems in place to monitor the care people received this included gathering feedback from people and relatives. However we found information was not used to identify issues or trends that would improve the quality of care people received.

This inspection was part of our scheduled programme. During the inspection we spoke with the manager, care staff, people that lived at the home and with a relative.

People told us they liked living at Kingsway. They told us that they were very busy and had lots to do. People were encouraged to undertake activities both in and out of the home. People who had spiritual needs were supported to attend a local church.

The care staff at Kingsway supported people to have their health and personal care needs met. They saw the GP when needed and had regular health check-ups. People were supported with hair and nail care and dressed in an individual style that reflected their choices.

Appropriate medication processes were in place to make sure that people had their medication as prescribed.

The home was monitoring and checking the quality of care people received. The home sought the views of people that lived at the home and of significant other people. Regular meetings were held with people that lived at the home. A range of checks took place to make sure that the home was safe for the people that lived there.

We reviewed documentation at the service to find that there all people who use the service have care plans and risk assessments in place. The provider has a system in place to review these regularly to ensure they are reflective of individuals needs. We saw that the provider uses other professionals within the community to ensure that all the people who use the service have their needs met. We also saw that any deterioration in physical or psychological health is referred to the relevant practitioners. However, we saw a case where a person who used the service was not supported correctly after making a complaint by the provider or a referral made to the relevant professionals.

We talked with three people who lived at Kingsway, one visitor and three staff about the quality of care delivered to people.

People we spoke with who live at Kingsway were all happy with the care and support they receive. They described the individual activities they were supported to take part in. One person told us, 'I grew tomatoes outside in the summer' and 'We have barbecues in the garden in the summer'. Another person said, 'Staff come for walks with me', and, 'They help me with shopping'.

We found that people greeted the provider enthusiastically and hugged her when she arrived in the morning. We saw kind and thoughtful staff behaviour and heard detailed explanations of individual's needs from the staff. Staff told us, 'This is the best place I have worked; people are so well cared for'.

We saw that the house was warm, welcoming and comfortable with plenty of space for people to move freely between all the rooms. We saw that there were games and things to do on the table in the lounge and that people's rooms were individually arranged and filled with their personal possessions. One member of staff said, 'The people who live here are a part of my extended family, they are vulnerable and you want what's best for them at the end of the day.'

We saw that the quality of care was reviewed by the provider through staff meetings, surveys, conversations with people who live at Kingsway and by using an external quality assurance specialist.

These older reports are from our old approaches to inspection, including those from before CQC was created.

Archived: Kingsway

All Inspections

14 January 2016

During a routine inspection

11 November 2013

During a routine inspection

21, 22 January 2013

During a routine inspection

5 January 2012

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Reports under our old system of regulation