• Care Home
  • Care home

Cross Keys

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

17 Church Road, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 8DA (01326) 372979

Provided and run by:
Keelex 176 Limited

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Cross Keys 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 Cross Keys, you can give feedback on this service.

During an assessment under our new approach

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it. At our assessment we found Cross Keys were meeting the principles of Right support, right care, right culture. Cross Keys is a 'care home' that provides care and support to people with a learning disability and autistic people. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The service accommodates up to 9 people. On the day of the inspection 9 people were living at the home. We carried out our on-site assessment on 19 December 2023, off site assessment activity started on 15 December 2023 and ended on 5 January 2023. We looked at 8 quality statements; Safeguarding; Involving people to manage risks; Safe environments; Safe and effective staffing; Independence, choice and control; Workforce wellbeing and enablement; Listening to and involving people and Equity in experiences and outcomes. At our last inspection the service was rated good. At this assessment the service remains good.

6 October 2017

During a routine inspection

We inspected Cross Keys on the 6 October 2017, the inspection was unannounced. Cross Keys is one of a number of services in Cornwall which are run by the provider, Keelex 176 Limited. Cross Keys provides accommodation for up to nine people who have a learning disability. At the time of the inspection eight people were living at the service.

At the last inspection, in June 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People told us they felt safe living at Cross Keys and with the staff who supported them. One person told us, “I feel safe here” and “happy.” Staff knew how to recognise and report the signs of abuse.

We observed people had good relationships with staff and staff interacted with people in a kind and respectful manner. People told us they felt staff were “brilliant” and “helpful.” The staff team had developed caring and supportive relationships with people using the service. People were supported to maintain contact with friends and family and had the opportunity to be involved in decisions about their care and the running of the service.

Care and support was provided by a consistent staff team, who knew people well and understood their needs. The registered manager said “We want to make a difference to people’s lives.” People had dedicated key workers who were responsible for updating care plans and leading on supporting people. These were chosen according to their experience and relationship with the person concerned.

People told us that staff were very supportive and were fully involved in every aspect of their life, both in Cross Keys and in the community. People told us they had set goals of things that they would like to achieve. Some examples were going on holidays and attending work placements. This showed that people were fully involved in setting their own goals, and were supported to, where possible, work towards achieving them.

People were supported to maintain good health, have access to healthcare services and receive on-going healthcare support. The staff had developed positive working relationships with health and social care professionals. Health and social care professionals told us “The team is well managed and they have regular team meetings which are client related.” They also told us that they had good communication and working relationships with the staff at Cross Keys. They felt the staff team worked with them positively, were open to ideas in how to best support a person’s care needs and then followed their recommendations and suggestions.

There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff on duty and staffing levels were adjusted to meet people’s changing needs and wishes. Staff completed a thorough recruitment process to ensure they had the appropriate skills and knowledge. Staff were then supported through a system of induction and training. Staff told us the training was thorough and gave them confidence to carry out their role effectively.

People were supported to eat and drink enough and maintain a balanced diet and were involved in meal planning. Menu planning was done in a way which combined healthy eating with the choices people made about their food.

Care records were up to date, had been regularly reviewed, and accurately reflected people’s care and support needs. People who received care, or their advocates, were involved in decisions about their support and consented to the care provided. Risk assessment procedures were designed to enable people to take risks while providing appropriate protection.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People and their families were given information about how to complain. The registered manager was visible in the service, regularly working alongside staff to provide care and support for people. There was a positive culture within the staff team and staff said they were supported by the registered manager.

The registered manager had a clear vision for the service and encouraged people, relatives and staff to express their views and opinions. There was an open culture where staff were encouraged to make suggestions about how improvements could be made to the quality of care and support offered to people. The manager led by example and expected all the staff to carry out their role to the same standard.

The registered manager was passionate about promoting the importance and value of social care locally. For example to celebrate Cross Keys ‘birthday’ of five years, they invited neighbours and other members of the local community to a party. The registered manager had also attended a Care Ambassadors conference which school-leavers attended to promote the care industry. By highlighting the value of social care for people the provider was challenging negative perceptions and demonstrating its value for people in supporting them to live well independently.

There were effective quality assurance systems in place to make sure that any areas for improvement were identified and addressed. People and their families were involved in the running of the service and were regularly asked for their views through on-going conversations with staff and surveys.

Further information can be found in the detailed findings below

To Be Confirmed

During a routine inspection

We inspected Cross Keys on 5 June 2015, the inspection was unannounced. The service was previously inspected on the 24 May 2013 when it was fully compliant with the regulations. The inspection team consisted of a single inspector.

The service is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to nine people who have a learning disability. At the time of our inspection five people were living at the service. There was a registered manager in post. 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 were relaxed and comfortable in the service. Throughout our inspection we saw that people freely approached staff for support and reassurance. Staff knew people well, were able to communicate effectively with each person and spoke warmly and compassionately of people throughout our inspection. Relatives told us; “they understand [the person] as well as I do” and, “the staff are lovely, friendly and attentive”.

People’s care plans were informative and up to date. They included details of each person’s goals and information about their individual likes and preferences. Risks had been clearly identified and clear guidance was provided for staff on how to minimise identified risks.

People’s care plans included detailed information on events and incidents that had previously caused the person to become upset or anxious. Staff were provided with detailed information on how to support each individual if they became upset or anxious.

Support was geared towards individual needs and communication preferences were recorded and taken into account. Staff were able to communicate effectively with the people they supported and varied their approach in accordance with each person’s individual preferences. Staff enabled people to make meaningful decisions about their lives and respected people’s decisions and wishes. People were supported to lead full and varied lives and staff supported people to engage in a wide variety of activities. One person’s relative told us, “It can be difficult to get hold of [the person] as they are always out doing things”.

The staff team were well motivated and understood each person’s care needs. We observed that people enjoyed the company of their support staff and sought reassurance and support from staff without hesitation. Staff valued people’s contributions and took pride in their achievements.

Some staff required training updates and the services systems for staff supervision and annual appraisal were not up to date.. The registered manager was aware of these issues and had made arrangements for additional training to be provided.

People were able to choose what they ate at each meal at Cross Keys. A new menu was being developed to enable people to become more involved in meal preparation while ensuring people maintained a healthy diet.

Cross Keys was well-led and people’s relatives told us they would recommend the service. The culture at the service was open and positive with a clear focus on enabling and supporting people to become more independent. Accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded and analysed regularly to identify any trends.

Quality assurance systems included a monthly visit by one of the provider’s other registered managers. This was designed to ensure the service complied with the requirements of the regulations.

24 May 2013

During a routine inspection

Some of the people who used the service were not able to comment in detail about the service they received due to their healthcare needs. We spoke with two people who lived at Cross Keys and they looked relaxed and confident in their conversations with us. We observed the staff talking with people who used the service and saw they were respectful, friendly and supportive to them.

Care records showed people were given information to help them make decisions for themselves where possible, and we found people’s privacy, dignity and independence were respected and upheld. We saw people’s wishes were respected.

Care plans provided sufficient detail to direct and guide staff in order to meet people’s assessed care needs. People's records were personalised and provided information about the person’s wishes and abilities.

People were protected from abuse and staff were trained and supported to carry out their roles.

The premises were warm, well decorated and maintained and protected people from undue risk.

The service operated a consistently robust recruitment procedure in order to protect the people who lived at Cross Keys.

There was usually sufficient staff to meet people’s care needs, although their right to independence and choice was not always maximised. The registered manager anticipated four new staff would add to staff numbers in June 2013.

Staff were supported in their role with ongoing training provision and supervision.