Kings Court

Updated 25 February 2022

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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors and an Expert by Experience (ExE). An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Kings Court 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 did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Registered managers and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. However, a manager had been employed and was in the process of registering with the CQC.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short notice period for this inspection. This was to ensure that people and staff were available to speak with us.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service and the service provider. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We looked at the notifications we had received for this service. Notifications are information about important events the service is required to send us by law. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

The provider had completed a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people using the service, one relative and a visiting health professional. We also spoke with nine members of staff, including the provider, the quality manager, the manager, the deputy manager, the chef and care staff.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people’s care records, medicine records, and further records relating to the quality assurance of the service, including audits and training records.

Updated 25 February 2022

About the service

Kings Court is a residential care home that provides care and accommodation for 38 people with various health conditions, including dementia and sensory impairment. There were 18 people living at the service on the day of our inspection.

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

People had not always received personalised care and support specific to their needs and preferences. Risk assessments and care plans did not always provide staff with accurate and up to date guidance to keep people safe.

We identified concerns in respect to risk assessments, the monitoring of accidents and incidents, people’s access to healthcare, care planning, staff supervision and appraisal. We identified further concerns in respect to communication between staff and managers. This lack of communication had resulted in people’s changing care needs not being recognised and acted upon.

Many of the systems and processes put in place to improve the service have not yet been fully embedded and assessed to ensure they maintain continuous improvement. The service would need to demonstrate appropriate systems and processes and care delivery over a defined period of time, to ensure the sustainability of good care could be achieved for people.

The service had a new management team who commenced their roles in December 2021. They had been proactive in recognising the issues in respect to systems and processes and care delivery and were working hard to drive improvement.

People were supported to have 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 were protected from the risks of harm, abuse or discrimination because staff knew what actions to take if they identified concerns. There were enough staff working to provide the support people needed. One person told us, “The staff treat me with respect. They are very friendly.”

We observed kind and caring interactions between people and staff throughout the inspection. People and professionals spoke positively about the support staff gave to people. One person told us, “They are nice to me and the food is good. It has come on leaps and bounds since the management takeover, and the garden is nice.”

Through training, staff had the skills and knowledge to meet people's needs and preferences. We saw people were supported with their communication needs and their preferred activities in accordance with their care plans. People received their medicines safely, when they needed them.

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.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 2 October 2020. This is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about care delivery and the provider meeting people’s needs. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the Safe, Effective, Responsive and Well Led sections of this full report. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.