Archived: Kenilworth House

People’s experience of using this service:

People did not always receive safe and consistent support with their medicines. The provider did not have systems in place to consistently record the support people required with their topical creams.

Although the provider had systems in place to identify and address any unsafe staff members practise these were not consistently followed. There was a lack of appropriate signage to direct people and visitors in the event of an emergency in some parts of the building.

Information confidential to people was not always securely stored and there was inappropriate information contained in individual’s personal files. People’s privacy and dignity was not always respected.

People did not always have personalised care and support plans that reflected their needs and preferences. People did not always have information presented in a way they found accessible. People had mixed experiences of the provider’s complaints process and outcomes were inconsistently provided.

The management team did not have effective quality monitoring processes in place and when areas of improvement were identified these were not followed through to ensure people received good care and support.

People were protected from abuse and ill-treatment as the staff team had been trained to recognise potential signs of abuse and understood what to do to safely support people. Staff members followed effective infection prevention and control procedures.

Staff members were knowledgeable about the relevant legislations that informed their practice and supported the rights of people. People were promptly referred to additional healthcare services when required. People were supported to maintain a healthy diet and had choice regarding food and drink.

People received help and support from a kind and compassionate staff team with whom they had positive relationships. People participated in a range of activities that met their individual choices and preferences which they found interesting and stimulating.

The provider had systems in place to ensure the Care Quality Commission was notified of significant events in a timely manner and in accordance with their registration. The provider, and management team, had good links with the local community which people benefited from.

Rating at last inspection: Good (published 18 June 2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection, ‘Good.’

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor all intelligence received about the service to ensure the next planned inspection is scheduled accordingly.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Kenilworth House is a home located as part of Moundsley Hall Care Village. This service provides nursing and personal care for up to 30 people living with dementia. On the day of our inspection there were 30 people living at the home.

There was a registered manager for this service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered providers and registered managers 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.

People told us they felt safe and there were enough staff available to support them. Two relatives we spoke were concerned about the amount of agency staff providing support for their family members. The management team had a plan in place to improve the use of agency and where possible regular agency staff were used to ensure people were supported effectively. We saw the unit manager provided information to staff and agency staff to support people safely. We saw call bells were answered quickly and there were sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s needs.

Staff we spoke with were aware of how to recognise signs of abuse, and systems were in place to guide them in reporting these. Staff had up to date knowledge and training to support people living at the home.

We saw staff treated people with dignity and respect whilst supporting their needs. Staff knew people well, and took people’s preferences into account and respected them. Staff had the knowledge and training to support people they provided care for.

People did not consistently have personalised assessments and best interest decisions to support them with decision making when needed. The unit manager recognised improvements were needed to ensure people’s assessments and best interest decisions were specific to them and involved involving the relevant people. Staff ensured people agreed to the support they received.

People were not always supported in an environment that had suitable adaptations for people living with dementia to enhance their well-being.

People told us staff were caring and promoted people’s independence. People said they were able to maintain important relationships with family and friends. We saw people had food and drink they enjoyed and had choices available to them, to maintain a healthy diet. They were included in regular meetings to ensure they had a say in the choices available to them. People told us they had access to health professionals as soon as they were needed.

Relatives we spoke with said they were always kept up to date with any concerns about their family member. People and their relatives knew how to raise complaints and felt confident that they would be listened to and action taken to resolve any concerns. The unit manager ensured people were listened to. We saw there was a process in place to ensure complaints were investigated and action taken to resolve them.

The unit manager promoted an inclusive approach to providing care for people living at the home. People and their relatives were encouraged to be involved in regular meetings to share their views. The management team were reviewing how they sought feedback to improve the service provided.

The provider and registered manager had systems in place to monitor how the service was provided. The management team had identified areas of improvement and had a plan in place to action these.