Loveday Kensington

Updated 26 July 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This consisted of two inspectors and a nurse specialist professional advisor.

Service and service type

Loveday Kensington is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Loveday Kensington is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced. The provider knew we would be returning on the second day of the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since their registration. This included any significant incidents that occurred at the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR) in February 2023. This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

We contacted the local authority commissioning and safeguarding teams to support our planning. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We met and had introductions with people who used the service and spoke with 6 of them in more detail. 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 observed the care and support provided to people across different parts of the day, including mealtimes. We also spoke with 6 relatives who were visiting during the inspection.

We spoke with 21 staff members. This included the registered manager, the head of care and quality, the deputy manager, the club manager, 2 nurses, a care coordinator, 4 care assistants, the physiotherapist, 2 head chefs, the head of learning and development, the maintenance person, an activities coordinator, 2 food and beverage assistants and the head of housekeeping. We also spoke with the nominated individual. 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 14 people’s care and medicines records and 10 staff records in relation to recruitment, training and supervision. We also reviewed records related to the management of the service, which included incident reports, complaints, quality assurance records and minutes of clinical and management meetings.

We sat in and observed a staff reflective practice group session on the first day of the inspection. We carried out further observations throughout the inspection in relation to staff engagement and medicines management to understand staff awareness of best prac

Updated 26 July 2023

About the service

Loveday Kensington is a residential care home providing nursing and personal care for up to 40 people. At the time of the inspection 23 people were living at the service, including older people, people with physical health conditions and those living with dementia. They also supported people who stayed for short periods of respite care.

Loveday Kensington accommodates people in one building across 4 floors, with each person having their own bedroom and en-suite bathroom. People also had access to communal living areas, a main dining area on the ground floor and a secure rooftop terrace area.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People who lived at the home were known as 'members' and the whole staff team across the service excelled at providing outstanding person-centred care, whilst in a luxury five star environment, which included fine dining and first class hospitality.

People and their relatives were overwhelmingly positive about the exceptional levels of care and support from a passionate and dedicated staff team. Comments included, “You simply cannot compare this level of care and service” and “[Family member] has always had a classy lifestyle and we wanted to continue this. They have the best care and I can assure you nothing else matches this in London.”

The service had a warm and homely environment and welcomed people’s friends and relatives, especially during mealtimes and organised events. This helped people maintain important relationships. Visitors told us they loved visiting the home. A relative said, "They know us well and I enjoy coming. The hospitality is amazing and it is for everybody. I feel part of the family.”

People received excellent care and support to help keep them in the best possible health, with immediate referrals to the relevant healthcare professionals if their health deteriorated. People and their relatives told us they had seen significant improvements in their health since moving in.

People benefitted from an excellent variety of activities, events and trips out that were organised to help reduce social isolation and enhance their health and wellbeing. Activities were tailored towards people’s likes and preferences which gave significant meaning and purpose.

People were cared for by a dedicated and compassionate staff team who felt valued and appreciated. Staff praised the working environment and the training and support they received to help provide high standards of care. One staff member said, “This is the best place I have ever worked. We make sure we go above and beyond in everything we do to give people a 5 star experience.”

People and their relatives were extremely positive about the management team and told us that nothing was too much trouble and they were always available. There were robust systems in place from the management team to ensure high standards of care were provided and maintained.

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

The service was registered with us on 10 February 2022 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.