Kings Court Care Centre

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has changed to outstanding.

This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 90 (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 always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and dignity.

We observed all staff, including maintenance and domestic staff, greeting people as they walked into any room with people in. Every interaction we saw during our onsite visit appeared kind and compassionate. For example, we observed a staff member supporting an anxious person to walk in the corridor. They reassured her with the occasional arm around the shoulder which gave the person confidence.

People spoke positively about the care staff and appeared happy and comfortable around staff. One relative told us, “The staff are genuinely caring about the residents. When [person] had a birthday, they put balloons up in the room. Staff go above and beyond to provide the best experience they can. They are very approachable”. Another relative told us, “The carers are really good. They care for [person] and make him laugh. Everyone is so good to [person], I don’t go home worrying”.

We also reviewed a compliment from a relative who commented, “I wish to strongly reiterate my praise for the staff of the care home. I cannot speak highly enough of their work. The carers are extremely patient, calm and friendly. They take pride in their work and are very warm, considerate and positive. This is also true of the staff as a whole. It is a like one big family and everyone – reception, nurses, site managers admin staff, and the enthusiastic entertainment team has time to spare to be helpful and friendly.  It really is a team full of smiling faces.” Another relative wrote, “Mums quality of care is exceptional, every member of staff are hard-working and are always available to attend with her needs, with utmost dignity and compassion.”

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People had detailed information within their care and support plans about their likes, dislikes, and their social, cultural and religious preferences and needs. This included smaller details such as ‘[Person] enjoys [song] but may become tearful when this song is played as it was also [person’s] mother’s favourite song.’ People’s care plans contained information about how people liked to be referred to and how they wanted any personal care to be carried out.

People were invited to give feedback about their care through the ‘Resident of the Day’ process. People who were not able to access communal areas for activities and to provide feedback were visited in their bedrooms by staff on a 1:1 basis. This meant all people had opportunities to provide feedback about their care to ensure it was tailored to their needs. Leaders explained how they had made changes to people’s care following their feedback. For example, we were told, “Residents requested televisions in both day spaces. We listened and purchased TVs for each area. This has significantly improved engagement and enjoyment during communal time.” The manager explained they had observed more people watching TV together after mealtimes and socializing.

A relative also told us, “[Staff] try exceptionally hard to do something with [person] that will have a positive impact on him.” We saw another recent online review from a relative which stated, “All the care staff have been delightful, always with a ready smile and eagerness to assist if needed. They really try hard to get to know what my father likes and doesn't like, which makes us feel happier that they really do care.” Another relative said, “On one of our visits we arranged to have Sunday lunch with [person] in the dining room, it was beautifully laid out including flowers. To see part of our family sat around the table like old times meant a lot.”

People’s communication needs were met to enable them to engage in their care, treatment and support to maximise their experience and outcomes. We saw 2 examples where the provider had worked creatively to support people with this, such as creating visual communication aids and rostering at least one staff member who spoke the same language as a person who did not speak English, to work at the service at all times.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People felt they were supported to be independent and told us they were able to make their own choices. For example, one person told us, “I can choose my meal and [staff] show me my clothes and I can choose what I want to wear today. If I want to go to bed, I just ask, and they take me. I like to get up for breakfast, they know that and pop in to sort me out and get me up.” People also told us they had been asked whether they would like to be supported by male or female staff, or if they didn’t have any gender preferences.

During our onsite visit, we observed staff supporting people to be independent in the least restrictive way. For example, we saw a staff member helping a person transfer to the dining room, encouraging the person to move unaided, whilst standing back but ready to support if required.

We observed another person who was unable to verbally communicate, who was still enabled to make choices around food at lunchtime as the staff had created a visual communication aid for the person. The manager explained how this communication aid had reduced anxiety for the person and enabled staff to meet their needs better, and we saw evidence of reviews of care where notable improvements to the person’s wellbeing were recorded.

People had detailed information within their care and support plans about their abilities and where they required support. For example, one person’s care plan stated, “[Person] is able to brush her teeth independently with supervision and encouragement.”

Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. During our onsite visit, we observed call bells were answered quickly and consistently observed people’s needs being met in a timely way. People and relatives’ feedback also supported this. One person told us, “If I say I’m not feeling well, straight away they will talk to the nurse and often she will come straight away”. Leaders had effective oversight of how long staff took to respond to people’s needs, through call bell audits, and observations of care.

We were told of some examples where the provider had prioritised the wishes of people. For example, a staff member told us a person, who was receiving end of life care, had said they would like to spend time in the garden, as the person had always loved the outdoors. Staff told us how there were some barriers to consider, due to mobility needs and the person’s physical condition, but they worked together to make this happen.

The person’s relative told us, “She had been an active person all her life and absolutely loved her own garden, so to be able to spend some time outdoors away from her four walls would be so special for her. I was aware that plans were in place for this to happen, and was able to join Mum and her carers on one of the two occasions this occurred. A supersized chair/bed was organised and Mum was so happy. It was lovely weather and we spent precious time together in her happy place - outdoors. I am so grateful to [staff member] and the other carers who put the effort into making sure Mum got her wish. Indeed, I have nothing but praise for the way my Mum was looked after and genuinely loved during her time at Kings Court.”

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff felt very well supported and valued in their role, and staff consistently told us the service promoted their wellbeing. They told us this helped them provide high quality care.

We were told of an array of examples where leaders went above and beyond to support staff. Comments included, “I’ll never forget how considerate [the manager] was during a difficult time in my life—when I was struggling to balance work and [a personal circumstance], and later, when I faced challenges with my health and wellbeing. [Manager] was there, checking in on me, offering understanding and encouragement when I needed it most”.

Another staff member told us, “This year I had [a medical problem] and despite the fact that I went to doctors they could not do anything for me. My manager supported me to travel abroad for [surgery] with three months authorised leave to allow recovery and secure my job upon return. She always messaged and kept in touch with me while I was away. When I returned, I had a return-to-work meeting with her and she carried out risk assessment for it. Since I have been placed on light duty and was referred to occupational health to ensure my safety and wellbeing.”

We were told of two personal circumstances from staff members, where the manager had provided compassionate support to staff during a difficult time. For example, the manager wrote a letter to support staff with a personal circumstance. The manager and staff member told us the manager had been flexible with working arrangements to further support this. The staff member told us, “I can only thank [manager] for this."

As well as leaders being supportive, flexible and compassionate with any personal circumstances, we were told of initiatives which had been put in place to support staff wellbeing generally, such as having a wellbeing champion who runs monthly stress relief sessions and culture celebration days.

The manager told us how a culture of compassion towards staff resulted in a consistent, genuinely caring approach to residents. This was supported by staff feedback and our observations of high-quality, person-centred care.