Kettonby Care Home

Kettonby House is a residential care home providing personal care to five people aged under 65 at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to five people and specialises in supporting people with learning disabilities and those with autistic spectrum disorders.

The service is a detached property set in its own grounds off a private drive in a quiet residential area. There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras, industrial bins or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People received warm, competent care and support and relatives spoke positively about staff and management.

Relatives told us people were safe and they were protected by staff who understood their responsibilities and how to keep people safe. People were protected from risks by detailed, regularly updated risk assessments.

People had comprehensive care plans which detailed their strengths and promoted their dignity and independence. Their communication needs were assessed and recorded in detail and staff were observed appropriately interacting with people.

Safe recruitment practices were followed. There were enough staff to meet people's needs. Staff were well trained and understood the needs of the people they supported. We observed that there was a relaxed atmosphere and people and staff had good, caring relationships.

The home was well equipped, clean and tidy and good infection control practices were being followed.

People took part in varied tailored activities and were supported to access the community. Visitors were encouraged and welcomed. The home had strong relationships with health and social care professionals. People had a healthy, varied diet and ate food they enjoyed.

People were mainly supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice although there were occasions this had not occurred.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

We have made a recommendation about the way the provider records actions taken in response to incidents.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (report published 6 January 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Enforcement

We have identified breaches in relation to obtaining lawful consent for care and treatment at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

People felt safe in the home. Staff understood the need to protect people from harm and knew what action they should take if they had any concerns. Staffing levels ensured that people received the support they required at the times they needed. Recruitment procedures protected people from receiving unsafe care from care staff unsuited to the job.

People’s were protected from identified risks by staff that followed clear guidelines set in people’s care plans to mitigate the known risks. People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed and medicines were obtained, stored, administered and disposed of safely.

People received care from staff that were supported to carry out their roles to meet the assessed needs of people living at the home. Staff received training in areas that enabled them to understand and meet the care needs of each person and people were actively involved in decisions about their care and support needs.

There were formal systems in place to assess people’s capacity for decision making under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare services when they were needed.

People received care from compassionate and supportive staff which promoted positive relationships with each other. Staff understood the needs of the people they supported and used their knowledge of people’s lives to engage them in meaningful conversations. People were supported to make their own choices and when they needed additional support the staff arranged for an advocate to become involved.

Care plans were written in a person centred manner and focussed on giving people choices and opportunities to receive their care how they liked it. People received support to be fully involved in making decisions about their care. People participated in a range of activities and received the support they needed to help them do this. People were able to choose where they spent their time and what they did. People and their relatives were able to raise complaints and they were investigated and resolved promptly.

People and staff were confident in the management of the home and felt listened to. People and their relatives were able to provide feedback and this was acted on and improvements were made. The service had audits and quality monitoring systems in place which ensured people received good quality care that enhanced their life. Policies and procedures were in place which reflected the care provided at the home.