11 January 2016
During a routine inspection
The Kingfisher Assessment Unit @ Preston Lodge is a residential care home for up to 37 people. At the time of our inspection visit 17 people were using the service. The service provides a range of intermediate care and support to people living in Leicester. The aim of the service to help prevent unnecessary admission to hospital or long term care and to support hospital discharges. The ethos of the service is to provide a supportive short stay environment to enable people recovering from ill health or to regain their strength, skills and independence through a programme of reablement techniques in order to return home. In addition the service provides respite care both planned and unplanned and has ‘crisis response beds’ for a period of up to 72 hours where a person is in a crisis in the community and requires 24hour support.
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 told us they felt safe at the service and with the staff that looked after them. Staff were trained in safeguarding (protecting people who use care services from abuse) and knew what to do if they were concerned about the welfare of any of the people who used the service.
People’s care needs were assessed including risks to their health and safety. Support plans were tailored to people’s needs, which included the measures to help promote their reablement to live independently and to keep them safe. ‘Reablement’ is support where a person was assessed as requiring therapeutic support in order to regain strengths and skills after ill health or an accident. Support plans provided staff with clear guidance about people’s needs which were monitored and reviewed regularly.
People were provided with a choice of meals that met their health and cultural dietary needs. People received their medicines at the right time and medicines were stored safely. People had access to health support and referrals were made to relevant health care professionals where there were concerns about people’s health.
Staff were recruited in accordance with the provider’s recruitment procedures and sufficient staff were available to meet people’s needs. Staff provided care through on-going training and support.
The registered manager and staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA), and supported people in line with these principles. This included staff seeking consent from people before supporting them. The registered manager sought advice and made appropriate referrals to the local authority when people had been assessed as being deprived of their liberty.
People were involved and made decisions about their care and support needs and how they wish to spend their day. People had opportunities to engage in individual activities reflective of their interests and hobbies.
People told us staff were caring and kind and that they had confidence in them to provide the support they needed. The atmosphere at the service was friendly and warm. We saw staff positively engaging with people, and treated them with dignity and respect.
The registered manager provided effective leadership to the service. Staff spoke positively about the registered manager in relation to the support and training provided. Staff were confident that issues raised with the registered manager would be addressed.
People who used the service and relatives told us if they had any concerns or complaints they would tell the registered manager or the staff. People’s views about the service were regularly sought, along with their visitors, health care professionals and staff as part of monitoring the quality of service provided and to improve the service.
The provider’s quality assurance systems were used effectively to monitor the performance and the service provided. Regular audits and checks were carried out to ensure people’s safety, the premises and the equipment used was well maintained.