We carried out a review of the data available to us about Knowle Park Nursing Home 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 Knowle Park Nursing Home, you can give feedback on this service.
Knowle Park Nursing Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 46 people. The service provides support to people aged 65 and over. This includes people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection, there were 27 people using the service. The home is one adapted building with two separate floors and the ground floor has two wings.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were supported by kind and caring staff that treated them with dignity and respect. Staff respected people’s privacy and encouraged independence.
People were supported by staff that were well-trained and had been recruited safely. People received support with their medicines and people’s risks were managed and reviewed well. People were kept safe from the risk of infection, and staff were aware of their responsibilities to report safeguarding concerns.
People were supported to maintain a healthy diet. Care plans detailed clear assessments that offered advice and guidance for staff.
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 had access to activities they enjoyed. Care plans were person-centred, and people were involved with decisions in relation to their care.
Staff and people felt supported by the management team. There were relative and staff meetings that addressed any concerns in a timely way. People felt confident to raise concerns and complaints and felt involved in the running of the home.
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was good (published 18 December 2019).
Why we inspected
We inspected as part of our inspection scheduling and time passed since the last inspection.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Knowle Park nursing home provides care and accommodation for up to 49 people some who have physical needs, some people who are living with dementia. On the day of our inspection 40 people were receiving care and support at Knowle Park nursing home.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
There were sufficient staff at the service to support people with the needs. Staff were aware of the risks associated with people’s care and ensured that people were provided the most appropriate care. People received their medicines when needed. 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.
Staff received appropriate training in relation to their role and were encouraged to progress. Staff were valued and had opportunities to win employee of the month to celebrate their good work.
People and relatives told us that staff were kind, caring and respectful towards them. We saw examples of this during the inspection. People were supported and encouraged to remain as independent as possible and were involved in decisions around their care. There were times where people felt that staff went above and beyond what was expected of them and were appreciative of this.
There were sufficient activities and outings for people. People who were cared for in their rooms had one to one activities provided and were protected from the risk of social isolation. Care plans were planned around people’s health care needs. There was a robust system in place to assess the quality of care provided. People and relatives knew how to complain and were confident that complaints would be listened to and addressed. People, relatives and staff thought the leadership of the service was effective.
Rating at last inspection
At the last inspection the service was rated Good (the report was published on the 15 February 2017).
Why we inspected
This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor intelligence 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
We undertook our unannounced inspection on 9 January 2017.
A registered manager was 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 and their relatives gave positive feedback about the service they or their family member received. People were very happy about the care they received.
People were kept safe. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and were able to tell us about the different types of abuse and signs a person may show if they were being harmed. Staff knew the procedures to follow to raise an alert should they have any concerns or suspect abuse may have occurred.
People told us care staff treated them properly and they felt safe. Staff had written information about risks to people and how to manage these in order to keep people safe. For example people at risk of skin breakdown, had action plans in place detailing guidance for staff to undertake to minimise the risk to the person and to promote skin healing.
Incidents and accidents were fully investigated by the registered manager, and actions put in place to reduce the risk to people of accidents happening again such as people falling.
People received their medicines as they were prescribed and when they needed them. Processes were in place in relation to the correct storage, disposal and auditing of people’s medicines.
Care was provided to people by a sufficient number of staff who were appropriately trained and deployed. People did not have to wait to be assisted.
Staff recruitment processes were robust and helped ensure the provider only employed suitable staff to care for people.
People and their families (when necessary) had been included in planning and agreeing to the care provided. People had an individual plan, detailing the support they needed and how they wanted this to be provided. Staff ensured people had access to healthcare professionals when needed.
Knowle Park Nursing Home was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). These safeguards protect the rights of people by ensuring if there are any restrictions to their freedom and liberty these have been authorised by the local authority as being required to protect the person from harm. Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to capacity and decision making. This was in line with the Mental Capacity Act (2005) Code of Practice which guided staff to ensure practice and decisions were made in people’s best interests.
Care Staff and nursing staff had the specialist training they needed in order to care for people. Staff demonstrated best practice in their approach to the care, treatment and support people received.
People were provided with a choice of freshly cooked meals each day and facilities were available for staff to make or offer people snacks at any time during the day or night. Specialist diets to meet medical or religious or cultural needs were provided where necessary.
People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. Staff took time to speak with the people who they supported. We observed some positive interactions and it was evident people enjoyed talking to staff. People were able to see their friends and families as they wanted and there were no restrictions on when relatives and friends could visit.
People’s views were obtained by holding residents’ meetings and sending out an annual satisfaction survey. People knew how to make a complaint. Complaint procedures were up to date and people and relatives told us they would know how to make a complaint if they needed to. The policy was in an easy to read format to help people and relatives know how to make a complaint if they wished. Staff knew how to respond to a complaint should one be received.
The provider had quality assurance systems in place, including regular audits on health and safety, infection control and medication. The registered manager met CQC registration requirements by sending in notifications when appropriate. We found both care and staff records were stored securely and confidentially.
We found that in relation to the issues that had been identified at the inspection on 8 July 2013 the provider had taken appropriate actions as outlined in their action plan.
Actions had been taken to ensure that people's privacy and dignity were upheld and that staff ensured people's confidentiality was maintained.
The provider had ensured that staff had an understanding of safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures.
Measures had been taken to improve the infection control practices in the home.
We reviewed the care and welfare provided to people as concerns had been reported to us. We found that people's needs had been assessed, care plans and risk assessments were in place and staff showed that they understood the needs of the people they provided care to.
The registered manager was unavailable on the day of the inspection so we were assisted during the course of the inspection by the interim manager.
Those we spoke with were satisfied overall with the service they received. People said of their experience of the service 'Fairly good overall' and 'Very impressed.'
We found that people's dignity and privacy had not always been upheld as not all staff knocked on people's doors before they entered. We saw that people's charts had been kept in the corridor outside their rooms.
People's needs had been assessed and staff were provided with written guidance. We found that not all staff had been using the correct moving and handling guidance and equipment. We found that staff were now following the correct procedures .
Staff were provided with safeguarding training and written guidance was available in the home. We found however, that not all staff had a sound understanding of safeguarding and whistle blowing.
We found that the budget for supplies of some items used for infection control was limited and as a result staff had been required to purchase additional supplies from petty cash.
There were supplies of gloves and aprons in the home; however, they were not always available in the areas that they were needed.
The provider had various systems in place to monitor the quality of the service people received.