Kingsfield Residential Care Home

Updated 8 December 2021

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

The inspection team consisted of an inspector and an Expert by Experience made telephone calls to relatives on the second day. 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

Kingsfield Residential Care Home 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 had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. There was a prevalence of COVID-19 in the geographical area at the time of the inspection and we needed to ensure it was safe and there were sufficient management staff available to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 9 November 2021 and ended on 10 November 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority, commissioners and professionals who work with the service. We also looked at information we had received and held on our system about the service, this included notifications sent to us by the provider and information passed to us by members of the public. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service. We spoke with six relatives about their experience. We spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager and care workers and a member of the catering staff. We looked at a variety of records to gather information and assess the level of care and support provided to people. We reviewed in detail four care records. We looked at staff rotas, risk assessments, multiple medicine records and three recruitment files. We also considered a variety of records relating to the management and governance of the service, including policies and procedures.

We looked around the home in both communal and private areas to establish if it met the needs of people who lived there and if it was safe.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider and registered manager to validate evidence found. We also spoke with two health care professionals about their experiences of the service and its staff.

Updated 8 December 2021

About the service

Kingsfield Residential Care Home is a residential care home registered to accommodate up to 27 people in need of personal care. Accommodation is provided over three floors with single rooms. On the days of the inspection there were 22 people living at the home.

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

Recruitment processes needed to be reviewed as some pre-employment checks were missing. We have made a recommendation about this in the 'Safe' section of this report.

In some areas of the home, people could access items that could be dangerous to them and others. This included cleaning products. We have made a recommendation about this in the 'Safe' section of this report.

As a result of the issues seen in the 'Safe' section of this report, we have reduced the rating in that domain from 'Good' to 'Requires improvement'.

The provider’s systems for monitoring safety of the service had not been effective in anticipating the issues we saw during the inspection. We have made another recommendation about this in the 'Well-led' section of this report. Management and provider oversight was otherwise good. The service made appropriate notifications to us and other authorities of any safety incidents.

Medicines were safely administered and people received their medicines as prescribed from well trained staff.

Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) processes required additional input from management around the processes with professional visitors. Generally, we were assured about the service's ability to mitigate the transmission of infections.

Safe visiting processes were in place to ensure people could see their visitors when they wished and could maintain relationships that were important to them. People and relatives said they did not have any complaints about the service but were confident to raise any issues.

People told us they felt safe and were happy with the service they received. They and their relatives said staff were kind and caring and they were treated well. At inspection, we noted good interactions between people, management and staff. People had access to appropriate activities. There was an activities programme and people said they particularly enjoyed visits by external entertainers such as singers and musicians.

Staff understood how to protect people from abuse and there were enough staff to meet people's needs and to ensure their safety. The provider's safeguarding processes were robust. Staff told us they had received training and support relevant to their roles and when they commenced employment.

Care plan records provided a guide to staff to help people to retain their independence and receive support with minimum risk to themselves or others. People's care and support needs were assessed prior to them using the service to ensure their needs could be met. Where people's needs could not be met, the home worked well with others to ensure people were appropriately supported.

People were supported to live healthy lives and had access to health and social care professionals. People also had a good choice of meals. Drinks were available at any time of day and night.

The home worked in partnership with other organisations to provide effective and consistent 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 were treated as individuals which helped protect their dignity. Their equality and diversity was respected by a caring staff team. Staff understood the importance of giving people their time and the importance of encouraging people to maintain their independence.

People were happy with the way the service was managed and staff felt valued and enjoyed working at the home. People's views and opinions of the service were sought and acted on.

The provider acted during and immediately after the inspection to address the risks we found. This included improved monitoring, reviews and dealing with some environmental concerns.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 24 February 2020).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Kingsfield Residential Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Follow up

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.