Kentford Manor

Kentford Manor provides accommodation, nursing and personal care for up to 88 older people across three floors. There were 63 people living in the home on the day of our inspection. This inspection took place on 28 November 2022 and was unannounced.

Two providers are dual registered at this location. Care UK Community Partnerships Ltd and WT UK Opco 4. Both providers are responsible for service delivery at the location Kentford Manor. Care UK Community Partnerships Ltd managed the service on a day to day basis and WT UK Opco 4 took a more silent role, however, they did maintain some oversight to check overall compliance.

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

The service was not always well-led. Governance systems had not always been effective in monitoring quality or identifying any issues at the home. Care planning and end of life care plans required review and improvement.

There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people's needs. The use of agency staff was being addressed and continuity of agency staff supplied was monitored to ensure those employed were able to meet people's needs. Safe recruitment processes were in place. Staff received an induction and ongoing training to support them in their roles.

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 and their relatives were complimentary about staff and of the care provided. Staff supported people in a personalised way and respected people's choices and decisions. People told us staff were kind and respected their dignity and privacy. People told us they enjoyed the food and had a range of options to choose from. A range of activities were made available to help people with social engagement

The provider had an effective complaints process in place. Feedback was sought and acted on. Staff worked in effective partnership with external professionals to help people achieve their outcomes.

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 10 December 2021 under Care UK Community Partnerships Ltd and 8 June 2018 under WT UK Opco 4 and this is the first inspection of the location since the two providers have held dual registration with CQC.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was Good published on 1 May 2020.

Why we inspected

We inspected this service to give it a rating.

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

Gracewell of Kentford is a care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 88 older people who may also live with dementia, physical or mental health needs. Accommodation is across three separate floors. At the time of the inspection there were 81 people living at the home.

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

People received planned care which improved their wellbeing from staff who considered and used their knowledge of what mattered to people, to provide person-centred individualised care. People knew they were important and well cared for because the staff took time to understand and get to know them, their histories and celebrated their unique life experiences. We saw positive rapports and strong bonds had developed between the people living at Kentford Manor and the staff supporting them. People using the service told us staff were kind and understanding and relatives told us staff’s kindness also extended to them.

Staff showed commitment to supporting people and spoke with a high degree of warmth about the people they cared for. People were empowered to make their own decisions about the care they wanted, and their relatives were consulted appropriately. Where people needed extra support to make decisions, this was provided by staff who knew people and their preferences well. People were treated with respect and staff were proactive in supporting people’s right to independence and privacy.

Each person had a personalised care plan which had been written from a detailed assessment of their needs and also their choices and views of how they wished to be cared for. People had a wide range of opportunities to do things they enjoyed, based on their preferences. People's communication needs were identified, and assistance was provided to enable people to express themselves in their preferred way. Systems were in place to take learning from any concerns or complaints and people and relatives were confident staff would address these. Staff were supported to provide good care at the end of people’s lives.

Each person had a recorded risk assessment to inform staff how to lessen the risk and care for the person. There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs throughout the day and night. Medicines were managed safely by staff who had received appropriate training. The service was clean and well maintained.

Staff had been provided with training and developed skills which clearly linked to the needs of the people supported at Kentford Manor. People enjoyed their mealtime experiences, which reflected their choices, and people were provided the assistance they required so they would have enough to eat and drink to remain well. Appointments with health and social care professionals were planned and also could be arranged promptly when required. 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 and relatives told us the service was well managed because of the experience and caring nature of the senior team and staff. There registered manager met with the senior staff each day and there was a service governance system which included carrying out quality checks to assure care was being carried out safely and to take any action to improve the service as identified.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good, (published 1 September 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.

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