We carried out a review of the data available to us about Folkestone Care Centre 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 Folkestone Care Centre, you can give feedback on this service.
Folkestone Care Centre is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 110 older people and people living with dementia. The service is based over four floors in one purpose-built building. At the time of or inspection there were 67 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and their loved ones told us they were happy living at Folkestone Care Centre. People told us there were sufficient staff to meet their needs, and that staff were able to keep them safe from harm. Staff we spoke with understood their responsibilities to safeguard people from abuse. There had been improvements in medicines management, and risks to people were now fully assessed with guidance in place to inform staff how to support people with all their health needs. When accidents and incidents occurred there was a system in place to make improvements and ensure the relevant action was taken to mitigate any risks.
The service was clean and staff were observed to be following guidance in relation to wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). There had been improvements made to the environment; dementia friendly signage had been implemented to support people who could become disorientated.
People and their relatives told us staff had the skills and experience to support them. Staff had a support system and had regular supervision to aid them in their roles. Before people moved into the service, staff completed an assessment of their needs to ensure they could meet them. People received support from external healthcare professionals including the falls team, GP community mental health team and the district nurse when required. People told us they enjoyed the food at Folkestone Care Centre.
People told us staff treated them with care and kindness. A person told us, “Oh yes, staff are all very friendly.” Staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible, and to maintain their appearance. A relative told us their loved one had improved significantly since moving into the service. People were supported to make decisions about their care. 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 received person cantered care specific to their needs. Care plans and risk assessments had been improved since our last inspection, and staff had sought support from Dementia UK to make them person centred. People were supported to take part in activities and to spend time with their loved ones. Information was accessible to people in a format that was meaningful for them. People and their relatives told us they knew how to raise concerns and complaints.
There was a positive culture within the service which supported positive outcomes for people. Staff spoke about people with kindness. People were supported to be involved in the service and share their thoughts and ideas through surveys and meetings. Since our last inspection there were improvements with the checks and audits completed. A new electronic system to audit the service was implemented and when improvements were identified they were added to a continuous improvement plan.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 8 October 2019) and there were breaches of regulation. 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 regulations.
Why we inspected
We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection to check the provider had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report covers all five domains, safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Folkestone Care Centre is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 34 older people some of who may be living with dementia at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 110 people, over four floors, in one purpose-built building. People were living on the ground and first floor, known as communities.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe and happy living at the service. However, potential risks to people’s health and welfare had not always been assessed. There was not always guidance in place for staff to mitigate risk and keep people as safe as possible.
Checks and audits had been completed on all aspects of the service. These audits were not robust and effective, they had not identified the shortfalls found at this inspection. The provider had completed spot checks, but these had not been recorded or used to improve the service.
The environment did not always meet the needs of people and promote their independence. Some people were living with dementia and the environment did not meet current guidelines to support people living with dementia. There were no pictorial signage and all the doors looked the same, some people were unable to find their way around the community.
People were not always supported to express their views. People were not always given information in ways they could understand, information was not available for people in different formats such as easy read. We have made a recommendation about this.
Staff knew people well, but people’s care plans did not always reflect the care being given. Care plans had not consistently been changed when people’s needs had. People’s medicines had not always been managed safely.
Staff monitored people’s health and referred people to relevant healthcare professionals and followed their guidance to keep people as healthy as possible. People’s needs had been assessed before they moved into the service and continued to be reviewed using recognised assessment tools.
People were supported by staff who had been recruited safely and had received training appropriate to their role. Staff had received supervision to discuss their practice and training needs.
People were supported to eat a balanced diet, people had a choice of meals. People’s choices and dietary needs were catered for. People had access to activities they enjoyed.
People’s end of life wishes were recorded. People were supported to be as comfortable as possible at the end of their lives.
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.
There was an open and transparent culture within the service, people felt comfortable to speak to the registered manager about their views of the service. People told us they knew how to complain, there had been no formal complaints since the service opened.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
This service was registered with us on 21 September 2018 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the date the service was registered with the Care Quality Commission.
Enforcement
We have identified breaches in relation to care and safe treatment, the environment and the governance of the service at this inspection.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will ask the provider to provide an action plan of how they plan to improve their rating to at least good. 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.