Kingston House

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• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

We reviewed 2 quality statements in this key question.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff told us they enjoyed working at the service and wanted to provide people with dignified care. Comments from staff included, “I enjoy it, I love people and I love the atmosphere at Kingston House, it is a nice place to work” and “I do enjoy it, I like the fact it is a rewarding job. I feel satisfied with my day.”

Healthcare professionals did not have any concerns regarding the staff approach to care. One healthcare professional told us people were looked after and staff were kind and caring. They also told us staff were mindful of people’s privacy and dignity.

This assessment was prompted in part by whistleblowing concerns received about the approach of the night staff. We carried out 3 site visits including a visit out of hours and did not observe any interactions to substantiate the concerns. We observed whilst there were times where staff were not available the care and support we observed was respectful. Staff were caring in their approach and were trying to do the best they could to meet people’s needs.

People and relatives told us they thought the staff were caring. Comments from people included, “The staff are very kind, and they do care”, “They [staff] are caring people. General attitude is caring and there are not many I could not talk to. I think they are all kind” and “They [staff] are lovely, they are very friendly.” One relative told us, “The staff are exceptionally caring. I know they are doing a job, but they take extreme care with all the residents.” People and relatives told us staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and were respectful when providing care and support. Comments from people included, “Staff always respect your privacy, they knock and ask to come in, they do not just barge in”, and “They [staff] take care in drying me off. They treat me with respect, got the hang of me and know me.” One relative told us, “They [staff] are always careful about maintaining [relative] dignity. They definitely treat [relative] like a human being.”

We did not look at Treating people as individuals during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

We observed staff using a system to help people choose their meal. Staff used ‘show plates’ to offer people a visual choice of 2 different meals for their main course. Staff did this prior to people being given their first course which was soup. This meant people were choosing their main course, but then being given an entirely different option which was confusing for some people living with dementia. We shared this feedback with the provider.

People's care records demonstrated they were involved in decisions about their care. Care plans included ways staff should try to support people to be independent. Care reviews were held to make sure people were happy with their care and support.

People told us staff listened to what they wanted, and they were able to join in with activities if they wished. Comments from people included, “Staff do ask and listen to what I want and will get things I ask for”, “There is a meeting with residents every 2 months where we can air our grievances, any areas such as food is discussed on a regular basis. There is a mechanism here to get information back to the management” and “I do get told and asked if we would like to do things that are happening. I try to do alternative things. I enjoy the trips out in the minibus.” People and relatives were able to visit when they wished. Comments from people and relatives included, “The family come in to see me”, “[Relatives] come in when they want to” and “There are no restrictions on visiting. There is no receptionist at the moment so you have to wait to be let in. I don’t mind as I know they are dealing with residents.”

Staff told us there was a key worker system at the service. This meant staff had people allocated to them for key working responsibilities. Staff said as a key worker in addition to getting to know people in more detail they also made sure people had items such as toiletries. The deputy manager told us, “We always say to the residents be open and honest with us. I ask them if they have any problems, I tell them to talk with the senior staff who pass things on to us.”

We did not look at Responding to people’s immediate needs during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

We did not look at Workforce wellbeing and enablement during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.