We carried out a review of the data available to us about Kents Hill Care Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Kents Hill Care Home, you can give feedback on this service.
Kents Hill Care Home is located in a residential area of Milton Keynes and is registered to provide
Accommodation and personal care to people who may or may not have nursing care needs. Kents Hill Care home accommodates up to 75 people across three separate units. One of the units specialises in providing care to people living with dementia. When we visited there were 46 people living at the service.
At the last inspection in August 2017, the service was rated Requires Improvement. We found breaches of regulation 9 - Person centred care, and Regulation 17 - Good governance. Following the last inspection, we met with the provider to confirm what they would do and by when to improve the key questions ‘responsive’ and ‘well led’ to at least good. At this inspection on 12 and 14 August 2018 we found the service had improved to Good. We found that improvements had been made to person centred planning arrangements and auditing systems that had been implemented, and the service was no longer in breach of these regulations.
There was not a registered manager in post. The service had a manager who was going through the registration process with the Care Quality Commission. 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.
Staff had a good understanding of abuse and the safeguarding procedures that should be followed to report abuse and incidents of concern. Risk assessments were in place to manage potential risks within people’s lives, whilst also promoting their independence.
The staff recruitment procedures ensured that appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out to ensure only suitable staff worked at the service. Adequate staffing levels were in place. Staffing support matched the level of assessed needs within the service during our inspection.
Staff induction training and on-going training was provided to ensure they had the skills, knowledge and support they needed to perform their roles. Specialist training was provided to make sure that people’s needs were met and they were supported effectively.
Staff were well supported by the registered manager and senior team, and had regular one to one supervisions. The staff we spoke with were all positive about the senior staff and management in place, and were happy with the support they received.
People's consent was gained before any care was provided. 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.
Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect and spent time getting to know them and their specific needs and wishes. Care plans reflected people’s likes and dislikes, and staff spoke with people in a friendly manner.
People were involved in their own care planning and were able to contribute to the way in which they were supported. People and their family were involved in reviewing their care and making any necessary changes.
A process was in place which ensured people could raise any complaints or concerns. Concerns were acted upon promptly and lessons were learned through positive communication.
The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. Actions were taken and improvements were made when required.
Kents Hill Care Home is located in a residential area of Milton Keynes and is registered to provide Accommodation and personal care to people who may or may not have nursing care needs. They provide care for older people who may also be living with dementia and can accommodate up to 75 people at the service. When we visited there were 53 people living at the service.
During our last inspection in February 2017, the service was rated as requires improvement and we found there were three breaches of the Regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. These were in relation to person-centred care, the need for consent and staffing. During this inspection, we found that the service had made improvements in these areas however we remained concerned as people did not always benefit from having person-centred arrangements in place for their care, treatment and support. Care plans lacked specific information about people's care and support needs and preferences. We also found that audits the service carried out did not always identify all of the improvements required, and the service did not always fully and promptly act upon audits and action plans set by external bodies. Actions set were not always completed on time, and progress had not been made in some areas since our last inspection in February 2017. We found the service to be in breach of two regulations. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.
The service did not have a registered manager in post, but did have a manager that was going through the registration process. 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 told us they generally felt safe within the service. Staff had an understanding of abuse and the safeguarding procedures that should be followed to report abuse. Training in this area had been provided. People had risk assessments in place to enable them to be as safe and independent as possible.
Effective recruitment processes were in place and followed by the service. This meant that only people that were suitable to be working with vulnerable adults were employed. During our inspection we saw that there were sufficient numbers of staff on shift that day to meet people's care and support needs. Rotas showed that staffing was consistent.
Medicines were stored and administered safely. The people we spoke with told us that they were happy with the support they received to take their medicines. We saw that the service was taking actions where any previous errors had been made including the re-training of staff where required.
All staff went through an induction process before working within the service. Staff told us that the process was thorough, and that along with the on-going training they received, they felt well trained and confident within their roles.
Staff received supervision from management. All the staff we spoke with said that they received supervision and felt that it was a valuable process. A new supervision system had been devised and senior staff were given teams of people to conduct supervisions with. We saw that supervisions had been recorded, and that on-going supervisions had been booked in for the coming months.
People's consent was gained before any care was provided and the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were met.
People had a choice of food and drink. We saw that consideration had been put in to make sure meals were balanced and healthy. Specialist dietary requirements were catered for as required. Food and fluid intake was being monitored and recorded for people when required.
Staff supported people in a caring manner. They knew the people they were supporting well and understood their requirements for care. We observed positive interactions between staff and people throughout our inspection.
People's privacy and dignity was maintained. People told us they felt their privacy was respected, and staff we spoke with explained the importance of maintaining people's privacy and dignity.
The service had a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to use it. We saw that any complaints made had been responded to promptly.
Kents Hill Care Home is located in a residential area of Milton Keynes and is registered to provide accommodation and personal care to people who may or may not have nursing care needs. They provide care for older people who may also be living with dementia and can accommodate up to 75 people at the service. When we visited there were 55 people living at the service.
The service had a registered manager. 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.
Staff members did not always receive effective support and training to perform their roles. Staff had not received regular supervision and had not been able to discuss any concerns they had about people's care, the service or their own development needs. Some staff members struggled with the electronic training system in place, however; had not had the opportunity to discuss this or seek alternative training methods. The provider had identified this issue and was working to resolve it.
Consent to care was sought on a daily basis but was not evidenced in people's care plans. It was not clear whether or not people agreed with the arrangements in place for their care, treatment and support. There were not robust systems in place to ensure the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) was used to support people who were unable to make decisions for themselves, or to show that decisions had been made in people's best interests. Provider checks had highlighted this concerns and work was underway to drive improvements in this area.
People's care was not always person-centred. Care plans did not show that people had been involved or consulted in their care arrangements. They were basic and did not provide staff members with sufficient detail to ensure they were able to provide care and support in accordance with people's needs and preferences. Staff members had individual knowledge of people at the service, but the current systems did not enable staff to record and share this knowledge with the rest of the team. There were activities for people to enjoy, however; the resources for this did not always ensure that all people were able to take part in activities. The new provider was working on making improvements in these areas.
Recent changes to the provider had unsettled some members of staff. They were not fully aware of the changes which were taking place, or what the future may hold. However; staff members still maintained a positive ethos and were motivated to provide people with the care and support they needed. They looked out for the people they cared for and were prepared to do the right thing for them.
There were quality assurance procedures in place at the service, but these had not always been effective in identifying areas for improvement. The provider had identified this and introduced a range of new checks and audits when they took over. The registered manager had worked to implement these new systems however; this had impacted on their visibility and availability to members of staff. They had however; worked hard to ensure they were still available to people and their families. Feedback and complaints were also welcomed and there were systems in place to record these and take appropriate action.
Staffing levels at the service were sufficient to ensure that people's assessed needs were met however; at times staff were very busy and became stretched. This meant that they were not always able to perform all aspects of their role. The recruitment procedures in place were robust and ensured that staff were suitable for their roles.
People felt safe living at the service. They were cared for by staff who were aware of abuse and the signs it may take. Staff were prepared to take action to reduce the risk of abuse and to report any incidents or concerns appropriately. There were systems in place to manage risks to people, visitors and staff and steps were put in place to reduce the likelihood that risks would occur. Systems were also in place for the safe storage, administration and recording of people's medicines.
The service provided people with a healthy and nutritious diet. People had a choice of what they wanted to eat and alternatives were provided where necessary. Support with eating and drinking was provided where necessary and specific dietary or cultural needs were accommodated. People were also supported to be at as good health as possible and the service assisted with appointments with a range of different healthcare professionals.
There were positive relationships between people and members of staff. Staff worked hard to get to know people and made sure they treated them with kindness and compassion. People and their family members were involved in the running of the service to ensure they were happy with the care they received and staff upheld people's dignity and respect whilst performing their roles.
We identified that the provider was not meeting regulatory requirements and was in breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the inspection report.
This inspection was carried out on 09 December 2016 and was unannounced. It was carried out in response to some information of concern which we received regarding the systems in place for managing people's medicines at the service. The specific details of the concerns were not looked into as part of this inspection and the Care Quality Commission is looking into the details of this and may take separate action under our enforcement powers. We conducted this inspection to see whether or not people were generally at risk associated with these concerns. During the course of the inspection we found that there were appropriate systems in place to ensure that people's medicines were managed and administered correctly.
People's medicines were managed appropriately. People were happy with the way their medicines were given to them and staff had the training and information they needed to ensure they gave people their medicines correctly and in accordance with their wishes. Records were completed to demonstrate that medicines had been given and checks and audits were in place to ensure these records were correctly completed.
There was a registered manager at the service. 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.