Kimberley Court

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

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.

The provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice.

Accidents and incidents were recorded and reviewed by the management. Referrals were made, if necessary, to external healthcare professionals or changes made to people’s care. Lessons learnt were shared with staff through meetings and supervisions.

The management team held monthly meetings with managers from the organisations other services to share good practice and learn from incidents.

Daily meetings took place to discuss people's needs. Any changes or incidents that may have occurred were discussed to ensure all staff were up to date.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored. They made sure there was continuity of care, including when people moved between different services.

Staff knew and demonstrated a good understanding of people's needs. Health and social care professionals were contacted in a timely manner when required to offer support and guidance.

People, their relatives, and other professionals were involved in planning people’s care and support needs. Multi-disciplinary meetings were held to discuss safe care and treatment pathways for people, and staff knew when to refer to specialist services to support and manage people’s care safely.

A healthcare professional told us the service contacts them promptly for support and guidance.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. Staff concentrated on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. The provider shared concerns quickly and appropriately.

People’s relatives told us they could raise concerns to staff and the registered manager and were confident actions would be taken.

All incidents in which there may have been a risk of harm were acted upon straight away and staff managed these situations calmly. One person said they had been informed when a safeguarding alert had been made.

The provider ensured staff received safeguarding training to recognise signs of abuse and how to escalate concerns.

People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes, this can be done through a procedure called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and how they managed DoLS within the service.

We foundthe registered manager and staff ensured people’s capacity to make decisions was assessed. Where people lacked capacity, any restrictions imposed to keep them safe, such as the use of sensors to alert staff, were in people’s best interest and the least restrictive option available.

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) applications had been made to the local authority for authorisation and any conditions imposed were met.

The provider worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. Staff provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them.

Care records informed staff about risks associated with people’s health and wellbeing and the action they needed to take to mitigate identified risks. For example, 1 person was at risk of choking. Care records included a detailed care plan and risk assessment. The person had been referred to the speech and language specialist service. Records confirmed staff had followed the recommendations.

Care records and risk management plans had been regularly reviewed and updated where needed.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care.

The provider had clear plans to support the safe evacuation of people in the event of an emergency. Fire drills were undertaken with all staff to ensure they had the practical skills and equipment needed to safely evacuate people in the event of a fire.

The environment was visibly clean, tidy and warm. Records showed health and safety checks were carried out frequently. Care equipment, such as moving and handling aids were serviced and maintenance records kept.

The provider made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. They worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs.

The service was well staffed, and rotas showed planned staffing levels were routinely achieved. The provider used a tool to determine how many staff were needed to meet the needs of people living at the home and staffing often exceeded this.

Staff received support through formal and informal face to face meetings with their line manager. This gave them the opportunity to discuss their role, concerns and training needs as well as personal welfare. Staff told us they felt supported and stated, “I love my job.”

Prospective staff went through a safe recruitment process which included their right to work in the UK and their fitness for the role. All staff had undergone a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to help ensure they were suitable to work in the care sector.

All staff completed training relevant to their role and 1 member of staff told us they progressed within the organisation and there were “Opportunities here for people to learn more.”

The provider assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly.

The home was clean and staff worked throughout the day to ensure all areas remained tidy.

Staff had been trained in infection prevention and control. Personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves and aprons, was discreetly stored around the home and staff used these when required and washed their hands immediately after use.

Cleaning schedules were designed to ensure all areas of the home and equipment was regularly cleaned.

The provider made sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. Staff involved people in planning, including when changes happened.

People received their medicines safely from staff who had received specific training to carry out the task. Managers and staff monitored the impact on people from changes in medicines and ensured regular communication with health professionals and relatives which ensured people’s treatment met their needs. The registered manager and a healthcare professional explained frequent reviews of medications were carried out to ensure people did not take unnecessary medication.

Some people were prescribed medicines on an ‘as required’ basis. Personalised protocols gave staff clear guidance about how each person would express the need for these medicines and included specific strategies staff could deploy to support the person prior to administering medicines.

We observed medication being provided to people in a calm and relaxed manner. People received their medication as they preferred, and staff asked how the person was feeling and if they were in any pain.

Medication was stored safely in a designated room and medication which required stricter controls such as controlled drugs, where held securely. The controlled drugs register showed procedures had been followed and during the assessment we found the amount of medication tallied with the records.