Kernow House

On this page

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

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has changed to Outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 90 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Staff communicated with people in a consistently caring and compassionate way. They gave people time to respond, listened to them and provided sensitive support to ensure people's needs were promoted. One person told us that moving to Kernow House was “daunting” but with staff support they felt listened to, understood and reassured.

Staff demonstrated empathy when supporting people and listening to their experiences and wishes. We heard many examples of staff demonstrating kindness and compassion. For example, “[Staff] are friendly, there is no one here that I don’t like. There have been lots of different staff. They are always respectful” and “They always knock before entering my room. They are always respectful and pleasant despite some of the behaviours here.” A relative shared that their spouse, who was now living at Kernow House, with staff support, had written them a birthday card and purchased a present. This had meant a great deal to them. The relative had contacted the service saying, “Thank you so much for the birthday card and gift from [person]. They wrote it themself which they have been unable to do in recent years and it was very emotional for me to receive it.”

Relatives spoke positively about the care their loved ones received. Comments included; “It takes me a two hour round trip to visit but it’s worth the journey. I’m not concerned about [person] when I leave unlike at their previous home” and “The manager is lovely. They are arranging for a new extra-long bed and chair as [person] is so tall. Because of the risk of self-harming, they are arranging for special pictures with no glass to go in [person’s] room. The manager said to treat the room as their home and decorate it as we wanted.”

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Detailed person-centred information was collected about people's religion, likes, dislikes and any cultural preferences. Staff were aware of, and had an in-depth understanding of people's needs, anxieties and aspirations.

Staff knew people exceptionally well and encouraged people to engage with activities that were very personal to them. We heard of many examples of how staff empowered people to be in control which led to a wider range of experiences for people and positive outcomes. For example, one person had a young family, and staff supported the person to adapt their room, by buying furnishings that would make the room appear more family orientated. Staff sourced and donated toys and play boxes so when the children visited the person, they were able to spend meaningful and enjoyable times together. Staff said, “It was so lovely to see the children dressed up as policemen, everyone was smiling.”

We were given other examples of where people’s individual interests were promoted. For example, one person had been a postal worker. Staff contacted the post office and arranged for the person to attend a delivery round, when they emptied the post box there were postcards addressed to the person from the Royal Mail for the person to keep. The person thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Staff were creative in how to engage people in their past interests which would be meaningful to them. For example, a staff member went on holiday to an area where they knew some people living at Kernow house had previously lived and remembered fondly. Whist they were there they videoed the town from an open top bus and shared this with people when they returned to work. This demonstrated the caring culture of the service.

The provider was exceptional at promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People were supported to achieve a level of independence and to be fully involved in decision making and have control in their lives. There were examples of where people had flourished and become more independent in terms of physical or emotional well-being. For example, a person was admitted to Kernow house who was immobile following a 6 month duration in hospital where they had remained in bed. The staff supported the person to identify their goals and aspirations and with comprehensive support from the nursing, care and occupational therapy staff along with external physiotherapy support, the person had regained the ability to walk and was able to leave and live independently in their own home. The person told us, “I can’t praise it enough, it’s a home from home” and “Staff encouraged me to keep going.” The person remained in contact with the home.

Staff empowered people to be in control and maintain their independence which led to a wider range of experiences for people and positive outcomes. A person struggled to put their shoes on, the home brought them a shoehorn so the person could continue to put on their shoes independently. Staff recognised this seemingly small adaptation would make a big difference to the person’s independence and feeling of self-control.

The activities co-ordinator sourced a range of activities and entertainment for people to enjoy both inside the home and out in the community. A minibus was available and used daily so that people had the opportunity to visit the community and its attractions. A ‘café’ was created so people could attend the café and be joined by visitors.

The entertainment was varied and included visits from singers, a young person’s dance club, shows and therapy animal visits. People and relatives were all positive about the variety of entertainment available and could choose what to attend. Comments included, “I did laugh when the Alpacas went upstairs in the lift” and “I watch TV. There are certain activities I like. We get a weekly planner. I like the trips out. I’ve been to St Ives and a church flower festival. There is gardening club every Friday. I like the music.” A relative commented “The staff have really helped [person]. In [their] previous care home [person] just lay on [their] bed all day. Now [person] is out on trips, does gardening, painted furniture. [Person] also now socialises more and has started to write again.”

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

There were enough staff to help ensure people’s needs were met in the moment. Call bells were answered quickly. People had easy access to drinks which were regularly refreshed.

A relative told us their family member had been admitted to the service for end-of-life care, however, due to the care and monitoring of staff the person’s health had improved. “They looked after them so well, [person’s] health has improved.” Other relatives also told us, “They always called us if [person’s] needs changed.”

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff told us they received exceptional support and managers were flexible and caring when staff had issues outside of work which impacted on their ability to work as planned. Staff gave us many examples of how the registered manager had provided emotional and practical support and been flexible in managing their working patterns so that they could meet work and their own personal commitments.

The registered manager had supported staff to enable them to continue to work when managing caring responsibilities, health issues and financial hardship. Comments included “[Staff] had some personal issues and managers have been really supportive”, “People in charge really look after me, they have been really supportive” and “Best things is colleagues you can trust for sure and having a manager who is approachable.”

The registered manager spoke highly of the staff team who they clearly valued. This approach promoted staff confidence and expertise.

Staff told us they were encouraged and supported to attend training, and development opportunities were available. As well as mandatory training, staff were encouraged to develop professionally. Staff commented “There is a good career pathway and they promote training.”