Knowle Hill

Updated 7 November 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was completed by two inspectors and an assistant inspector.

Service and service type

Knowle Hill is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with CQC. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch (Sheffield). Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 10 people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 11 members of staff including the registered manager, care staff and domiciliary staff. We spoke with two community health professionals who were visiting the service during this inspection and two members of the local church who regularly visited Knowle Hill to support people with their faith.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people's care records and multiple medication records. We checked a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including three staff files and various policies and procedures.

We spent time observing the daily life in the service and we looked around the building to check environmental safety and cleanliness.

Updated 7 November 2019

About the service

Knowle Hill is a residential care home that provides accommodation and personal care for older people and people living with dementia. The home can accommodate up to 74 people in one adapted building over three floors. At the time of this inspection there were 65 people using the service.

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

People told us they felt safe living at Knowle Hill. There were enough staff available to keep people safe and meet their needs. People were supported by staff who were trained and knowledgeable about how to safeguard adults from abuse. Risks to people were assessed and staff knew how to keep people safe from avoidable harm. People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed. The home was clean, and people were protected from the spread of infection.

People were cared for by staff who were knowledgeable and skilled. People were happy with the care they received. They were involved in developing their care plans and people’s care plans were detailed enough so staff knew what care to provide to each person. People were 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. People’s nutritional needs were met, and people were satisfied with the food provided at Knowle Hill, though some people told us they did not know what would be on offer at lunchtimes until lunch was served. People were supported to maintain their health and staff worked alongside community health professionals to ensure people received effective care.

People and their relatives were positive about the staff team. They told us staff were kind and caring. People were supported by staff who knew them well. We observed staff treat people with dignity and respect. People were supported and encouraged to remain involved in decisions about their care. People's privacy was respected, and their independence was promoted.

People’s care plans were person-centred and contained information about their life history and preferences for receiving care. This supported staff to provide personalised care to people. However, some people told us they did not have enough to do, to keep them occupied throughout the day. We found some activities did take place, however improvements were required in this area. We have made a recommendation about the development of activity provision in the home. The provider had a suitable complaints procedure in place and we found complaints had been investigated and acted upon. The provider had systems in place to ensure people who received care at the end of their life were cared for in accordance with their expressed wishes and any pain was effectively managed.

The home was well-run. People were supported by a team of staff who were happy in their jobs and well-supported by their managers. An experienced registered manager and senior staff completed a range of regular checks on the quality and safety of the service. The provider, registered manager and staff all demonstrated a desire to provide person-centred, high-quality care. People, relatives, staff and visiting professionals had regular opportunities to express their views about the service.

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

Rating at last inspection (and update)

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 26 October 2018). At the last inspection we identified one breach of regulation in relation to medicines management.

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of any regulations.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.