At the last inspection in February 2015 the service was rated good. At this inspection we found the service remained good.Kirksanton Care Centre has three distinct areas. The Croft is in the oldest part of the property and accommodates up to twelve people who may have had problems with alcohol abuse leading to memory loss and other associated conditions. The annexe to the Croft is for older adults, some of whom may be living with dementia. The Mews is currently unoccupied. Bedrooms are mainly single occupancy. Some rooms have ensuite facilities. There are suitable shared facilities. The home is owned by St. Phillips Care Ltd who own other homes in the UK.
A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The home had a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager. She had created an open culture where both staff and people in the home felt supported and valued. Everyone we spoke with judged that the care of vulnerable people was the focus of the service.
Staff were trained to understand and report any potential or actual abuse. We had evidence to show that the manager understood how to make appropriate referrals, where necessary.
The service had suitable risk assessments in place and a plan for any foreseeable emergencies, which had been tested as this is a very isolated service. Accidents and incidents were monitored and dealt with appropriately.
Staff were suitably recruited, inducted and trained. Staff received supervision. Staffing levels were suitable but some vacancies were proving hard to fill due to the rural situation. Plans were in place to use creative ways of recruiting to the vacancies.
Medicines were appropriately managed. People had their medicines reviewed by GPs and consultants so that people had the right medicine for their health.
The house was warm, safe, suitably decorated and well furnished. Equipment was maintained and replaced as necessary. Some areas needed upgrading and the maintenance person was working on this. The provider had plans to upgrade the environment in all areas.
The home was clean and good infection control practice was in place.
The registered manager understood her responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. 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. Restraint was not used and we had evidence people were asked for consent for all interventions.
People told us the food was of a very high standard and staff supported people who needed help taking good nourishment.
Health care professionals visited the home regularly. Staff supported and cared for people during times of ill health and at the end of life.
We observed caring and sensitive interactions between staff and people in the service. We learned that people were respected and treated with dignity and patience. Matters of equality and diversity were taken into account by the team.
Each person had a care plan and these gave suitable guidance for staff. People were well groomed and told us the care delivery was of a good standard.
Activities had lessen due to the activities organiser post being vacant but the staff team were trying their best to provide activities and entertainments. Recruitment was underway for the post.
The provider had a suitable quality monitoring system in place that was being used to identify how well the service was running. Changes and improvements were based on this auditing of quality. Good recording systems were in place.