Kineton Manor Nursing Home

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.

At our last assessment we rated this key question outstanding. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 71 (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 made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

The provider promoted person led care by considering what was important to people. For example, people had been supported to bring their pets to live with them at Kineton Manor Nursing Home. Assessments had been completed on the suitability of the home for the pets and when their owners had passed away, the pets had continued to live in the home. Several people told us how the ‘adopted’ pets had brought pleasure, comfort and routine into their lives.

Care plans contained information about people’s responses and behaviours and this information was used to support people during times of anxiety or distress. Staff told us people’s care plans and handover from other staff gave them the right information to respond to people’s needs.

Relatives told us staff were responsive when people needed them. One relative described how their family member could demonstrate anxieties. They told us staff had adapted the layout of the person’s bedroom so that specific triggers were out of sight. This relative commented, “That is individualised care.” Another relative told us, “In my view the staff know all the residents very well. If any resident becomes agitated, you can see them going through their training routines to calm the residents down. They always adopt a calm approach.”

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

The provider ensured referrals to other services, such as speech and language therapy, dietitians or tissue viability nurses were made when needed. The home benefited from a weekly GP ‘ward round’ on a Monday and a frailty nurse from the practice visited every Friday. This promoted continuity of care from healthcare professionals who had time to develop an understanding of people’s needs. One healthcare professional told us, “[Registered manager] has my personal email and phone number because I know their threshold to contact me is appropriate.”

Relatives who wanted to maintain a caring role in their family member’s life were enabled to do so. Where necessary, the registered manager signposted relatives to other organisations to ensure the correct funding was in place to support continuity in people’s care.

The provider generally supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information. However, some information was not always in a format tailored to individual needs.

Each person had a communication care plan that detailed any hearing or visual impairments or health conditions that could impact on people’s communication or understanding. There was guidance for staff on how to support effective communication with people considering their individual needs and preferences. Staff reflected this guidance when engaging with people. They knelt to meet the eye level of those people sitting in chairs and did not rush their interactions.

However, people would have benefited from more accessible information to help them remember their menu choices which had been made the day before. One person told us, “I make my choice, but I sometimes forget what I have ordered (the day before). I haven’t got a clue what I will be eating today.”

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support.

People and relatives had opportunities to offer suggestions and give feedback about the home through regular meetings and audits of their dining experience and engagement in activities. There was also a ‘residents committee’ who met with the registered manager to share people’s views and opinions.

The registered manager had recently issued a quality questionnaire to people and their relatives. Whilst they were still in the process of evaluating the responses, the registered manager had identified relatives wanted more formal opportunities to discuss their family member’s care. The registered manager explained that in response, "We will offer a care plan review twice a year but anytime the family want one, we will do that. It was 1 thing they said in the survey."

Staff reflected understanding of the importance of listening to relatives to ensure people’s expectations were met. One staff member told us, “We have to collaborate with the relatives because they are the spokesperson for their loved ones."

People and their relatives told us they would feel confident to raise concerns with either the registered manager or directly with the provider. One person told us, “Everything seems in order here. I would let them know if there was anything unsatisfactory.” A relative commented that if they had a problem, “I would go straight to one of the lovely nurses or email in and it instantly gets replied to or I get rung."

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

Staff had consulted with GPs, dieticians and speech and language therapists to support people’s changing health needs. Care plans described what signs could indicate a deterioration in health associated with specific health conditions so staff could promptly escalate any concerns. Staff also used a recognised tool to assess pain levels in people who could not verbally express their pain or discomfort. This meant people, whatever their presentation, could be referred to other healthcare professionals as needed.

Managers and senior clinical staff were available to respond and provide guidance to clinical and care staff 24 hours a day.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

Regular care plan reviews gave clinical staff the opportunity to consider whether people’s outcomes were being met. One staff member explained, “I find that if there are any queries then the care plan gives you a good insight into the full needs of the residents. With the reviews it also tells you how they are responding to the plan in place.” A visiting healthcare professional told us, “My experience is the staff know their residents, and they know the thresholds to contact me extremely well and it is always appropriate. They know their relatives, and it gives me great confidence they are doing a good job."

The provider had policies to promote privacy, dignity and respect and staff received equality and diversity training to support their development and understanding in these areas.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

Kineton Manor Nursing Home was accredited under the Gold Standards Framework (GSF) which is a national framework of tools and tasks that aims to deliver a ‘gold standard of care’ for all people nearing the end of their lives. The home had achieved the GSF "Platinum Standard" award, signifying the highest standards in end-of-life care.

People were encouraged to discuss their wishes and preferences for the care they received in their final days, and this was recorded in an advance care plan. External healthcare professionals were consulted to ensure people had the medical interventions and anticipatory medicines to manage any discomfort or pain.

When a person had received end of life care, managers and staff reflected on the care provided. They used this to identify any improvements that could be made in the provision of end-of-life care within the home.