We carried out a review of the data available to us about Kingsley 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 Kingsley, you can give feedback on this service.
At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.
At this inspection we found the service remained Good.
The registered manager had oversight of the service. They checked that the service met the standards they required and worked to continually improve the support people received.
People were involved in everything that happened at the service. Staff knew people very well and supported them be independent. Staff were kind and caring and treated people with dignity and respect.
Assessments of people’s needs and any risks had been completed. People had planned their support with staff and took managed risks. Staff knew the signs of abuse and were confident to raise any concerns they had with the registered manager. People were not discriminated against and received care tailored to them. People took part in tasks and activities they enjoyed at the service and in the community.
People were supported to remain as fit and healthy as possible. Staff supported people to visit health care professionals for check-ups or if they became unwell. People’s medicines were managed safely. People were supported to plan and prepare balanced meals, of food they liked and met their cultural needs and preferences.
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. Plans were in place to support people and their relatives to share their wishes and preferences about the care they wanted at the end of their life.
Staff felt supported by the registered manager, they were motivated and felt rewarded by their roles. The registered manager was always available to provide the support and guidance staff needed. Staff worked as a team and supported people in a consistent way. Records in respect of each person were accurate and complete.
There were enough staff to support people in the way they preferred. Staff had completed the training they needed to fulfil their role. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities and worked as a team to meet people’s needs. Staff were recruited safely.
The service was clean and well maintained. The building had been adapted to meet people’s needs and make them feel comfortable. People used all areas of the building and grounds and were involved in planning the refurbishment.
A process was in place to investigate and resolve any complaints or concerns received.
The registered manager had informed CQC of significant events that had happened at the service, so we could check that appropriate action had been taken.
Services are required to prominently display their CQC performance rating. The provider had displayed the rating in the entrance hall.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.
Kingsley provides accommodation and personal care for up to nine people with a learning disability. The service is a converted domestic property. Accommodation is arranged over two floors. All of the bedrooms have ensuite toilets or bathrooms. There were six people living at the service at the time of our inspection.
A registered manager was leading the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the care and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Staff were kind and caring to people and treated them with dignity and respect at all times.
The registered manager was leading the staff team and had oversight of the service. Staff felt supported by the registered manager and were motivated. They said the manager was always available and was approachable. The registered manager and staff shared a clear vision of the service.
There were enough staff, who knew people well, to meet their needs at all times. The registered manager had considered people’s needs when deciding how many staff were required to support people in different activities. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities and worked as a team to meet people’s needs.
Checks had been completed to make sure staff were honest, trustworthy and reliable. Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) criminal records checks had been completed. The DBS helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and helps prevent unsuitable people from working with people who use care and support services.
Staff had completed the training they needed to provide safe and effective care to people. They were supported to provide good quality care. Some staff held recognised qualifications in care. The registered manager met regularly with staff to discuss their role and practice.
People’s care and support was planned and reviewed with them, to keep them safe and help them be independent.
Plans were in place to keep people safe in an emergency. Staff knew the signs of abuse and were confident to raise any concerns they had with the registered manager. Systems were in place to manage complaints received.
Action was taken to identify changes in people’s health, including regular health checks. People received the medicines they needed to keep them safe and well. People were offered a balanced diet that met their individual needs.
The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Arrangements were in place to apply to the supervisory body for a DoLS authorisation when necessary. People were not restricted and went out when they wanted to.
The requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) had been met. The registered manager knew when assessments of people’s capacity to make decisions were needed. Staff assumed people had capacity and respected the decisions they made. When people needed help to make a particular decision staff helped them. Decisions were made in people’s best interests with people who knew them well.
People enjoyed a variety of activities, with support when needed. Possible risks to people had been identified and were managed to keep them as safe as possible, while supporting them to be independent.
The registered manager worked alongside staff and checked that the quality of the service was to the required standard. Any shortfalls found were addressed quickly to prevent them from happening again. People and their relatives were asked about their experiences of the care.
Accurate records were kept about the day to day running of the service care and the support people received. These provided staff with the information they needed to provide safe and consistent care to people.
Systems were in operation to regularly assess the quality of the service. People and their relatives were asked for their feedback about the quality of the service they received.
We spoke with the manager and two staff. Each of them told us that everyone using the service was an individual and we saw evidence that each person received the care and support they needed to meet their needs in the most appropriate way for them.
People were able to make choices about how, when and where their services were provided and were encouraged to be as independent as they could be. People described some of the choices available to them. For example, one person told us how they liked to go out to the pub and that staff supported them to do this.
We found that most of the staff had worked at the service for several years and knew people well.
People looked comfortable and at ease both with each other and the staff. We saw people chatting to each other and staff in a relaxed way.
People had been involved in the planning of their care and we observed that people were involved in the day to day household activities.
The provider had taken action to identify and minimise potential risks to people and had a process in place to monitor the quality of the service and make improvements.
We saw that staff were responsive in the company of people using the service. Staff listened to people and supported them to be where they wanted to be. They gave the people time to respond and answered their questions in a way they could understand.
The staff we spoke with understood people's needs and knew their routines and how they liked to be supported.
We found that the provider had now made the service safer for the people who lived at the home.
We made an unannounced visit to the service and spoke to people who use the service, the Registered Manager and to staff members.
There were 8 people living at Kingsley when we did the inspection.
We spent some time with the people and observed interactions between the people and the staff.
We saw that people were responsive in the company of staff. They were able to let staff know what they wanted and we saw staff responded in a caring and positive way.
Staff listened to people and took their views seriously and always answered their questions in a way that they could understand.
People told us and indicated that they received the care and support that they needed at Kingsley.
People told us or expressed that they felt safe and well looked after. People said they would talk to staff about any problems and the staff would sort it out for them.
People said that there were enough activities going on and said that they enjoyed going out in the local area. On the day of the inspection two people were visiting their families, some people were at the local day centre and there were five people in the house doing various activities which they said they liked doing. One person said told us that they had started working in a local charity shop which they enjoyed.
People who use the service indicated that they were happy at the home.
Staff told us that care plans had enough information about how to look after people in the best way. They said that they thought the training they received was adequate to meet the needs of the people living in the home.
The staff we spoke to had knowledge and understanding of people's needs and knew people's routines and how they liked to be supported.
Not all the people living in the home were able to tell us about their experiences so we observed the interactions between the people living in the home and the staff.
We saw that staff were supportive and kind to people and spoke with them in a respectful manner.