We carried out a review of the data available to us about Kenneth House on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Kenneth House, you can give feedback on this service.
The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the ‘Registering the Right Support’ and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.
Kenneth House is registered to provide accommodation for up to four people who require accommodation and support with their personal care. The home is located in a residential area of Eastham. At the time of our inspection four people lived at the home.
At the last inspection the service was rated good. At this inspection we found the service remained good.
We spoke with one person who lived in the home and two relatives. They all gave positive feedback about the home and the staff who worked in it. It was clear from what people and the relatives we spoke with said that the service met their needs and that people who lived at the home were happy with the support they received. Everyone we spoke with told us the manager and all of the staff were kind, caring and compassionate.
People’s care records contained clear and easy to understand information about people’s needs and risks and how to support them effectively. Care plans were person centred and gave staff clear information about the person’s preferences and what was important to them. For those people who were unable to express their needs and wishes verbally, staff had detailed information about the behaviours, gestures and body language people would display to communicate their needs or emotions. This was good practice and enabled staff to connect with the people they were supporting.
Staff spoken with had a good knowledge of people’s needs and spoke with genuine affection about the people they supported. The atmosphere at the home was homely, relaxed and nurturing. It was clear that people felt relaxed and comfortable in the company of staff.
No new staff had been recruited since our last inspection so we did not look at recruitment records. The staff who worked at the home had done so for some time. This meant people received support from the staff who knew them well and with whom positive relationships had been built.
Staff received appropriate support and training to do their job role and staff spoken with told us the manager was supportive and managed the service well. People and the relatives we spoke with agreed with this.
Medication was managed safely and people received the medicines they needed to keep them well. People had access to a range of health and social care professionals and people had health passports in place which gave staff clear information about their physical and emotional needs and the support they required.
A person we spoke with who lived at the home told us they got enough to eat and drink and that they had a choice. People who lived at the home helped plan the weekly menu and the staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about what food and drink people liked to eat and drink.
People had access to a diverse range of person centred activities which were provided as part of the provider’s day services. Activities were social and educational in nature enabling people to develop or maintain life skills at the same time as having good fun. The person we spoke with told us that they enjoyed attending the day service. Relatives we spoke with told us they felt people enjoyed the activities on offer and that they played an important part in people’s lives.
There were a range of effective mechanisms in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and the views of people and staff were regularly sought by the manager. This was good practice.
During our visit, we had no concerns about people’s care or the service itself. We found the home to be well-run with a passionate and caring staff team.
This comprehensive inspection took place on 10 August 2015 at Oak House (the headquarters of the provider, Wirral Autistic Society) where we looked at some records relating to Kenneth House and on 28 August 2015, when we visited the home itself.
The home was a detached house in a quiet residential area. It had an extension built to the side which afforded additional space without taking up much of the usable garden area. It was a five bedroomed house, four of which were used by the people living at Kenneth House and the other smaller bedroom was used as a staff sleep in room. One of the larger bedrooms was ensuite.
The staff bedroom also housed the medication cabinet and associated records. All the rooms were able to be locked. Downstairs there was a large lounge and dining area, a big kitchen and an additional bathroom to the one upstairs. The house was owned by Wirral Autistic Society which was a registered charity and was one of a range of services they provided. At the time of our inspection four people lived at Kenneth House.
The home required a registered manager. 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. There was a registered manager in place who had been there for several years as had many of the staff.
We saw that people were relaxed and got on well with staff. The staff were supportive and enabled people to be as independent as they could be. Activities during the week included attending some of the other services which the provider ran, shopping, and visiting family.
We saw records which showed that staff were properly recruited, well-trained and supported. In talking with them, they demonstrated that they had knowledge of autism and that they cared about people living in the home.
Medication in the home was seen to be appropriately stored and administered and proper records were kept, relating to this. In other areas of the home we saw fire fighting equipment and smoke alarms and generally, the house was clean, tidy and homely. Each person had personalised their own room and the communal rooms were comfortably appointed.
We saw that all records and audits had been correctly compiled and those which were confidential were securely stored. All the records were easy to read and they were up-to-date.
We looked at the people's care records and found they provided clear guidelines for the staff to enable them to support the people in their care. The relatives told us they were part of the care planning process and they attended annual care review meetings. We found that all staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the issues of consent and had received training.
We found that the home managed medicines appropriately and had systems in place to ensure the secure storage and safe administration of medicines.
We saw the home was of a suitable design and layout for the needs of the people at the home and that it was warm, clean and secure.
We saw the home had a complaints procedure but on the day of our visit this was not accessible to the people at the home. One relative told us that when they had raised concerns they had been dealt with promptly and to their satisfaction.
We found that Kenneth House had procedures in place for safeguarding vulnerable adults, and supporting staff. These procedures reduced the risk of people receiving unsafe or inappropriate care.
We found there were systems in place to monitor quality assurance such as audits and surveys.
Another person told us that her relative has received services from Wirral Autistic Society for seven years. There have been no problems and she feels that he is safe, well cared for and able to have choices in daily living. They have regular contact, and every year he has a review and she receives a copy of the report that is produced.
We were able to speak with one of the people who lives at Kenneth House and asked him some questions about what it was like living there. He replied that he was happy with everything. He was keen to go out shopping with one of the support workers, using a car that belongs to him. He agreed to show us his bedroom which reflected his interest in his favourite football team.
Another of the people living at the home communicates little with others and likes to spend his time in the garden whenever it is not raining. The third person who lives there prefers to spend his time in his own bedroom when he is at home.
We spoke with a senior nurse who provides support for the people living at the home as required, for example taking blood specimens. She told us that there are no concerns or complaints about the care of the people who live at Kenneth House.
Family members who we spoke with said that they have never had any concerns or complaints about the service and they feel that their relatives are kept safe. One person said 'we feel so lucky to have found this place'. If there are any problems they are discussed with his keyworker. If they had any concerns that were not dealt with in a satisfactory manner at Kenneth House they would speak to a senior person at the organisation's head office. Another person said that If she was not happy with her relative's care, or needed to make a complaint, she would contact his social worker.
We contacted Wirral Council and were informed that currently they have no concerns about this service.
One of the family members we spoke with said that the staff working at Kenneth House are carefully vetted and monitored and they are very professional.