Kite Hill Care Home

Updated 2 September 2020

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place. As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a thematic review of infection control and prevention measures in care homes.

This inspection took place on 07 August 2020 and was announced. The service was selected to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

Updated 2 September 2020

About the service

Kite Hill Care Home is a care home providing accommodation and personal care to older people. The service can support up to 30 people. At the time of the inspection the service was providing support to 25 people. Kite Hill Care Home is a large building that has been adapted to suit the needs of people living there. It has a large communal lounge and dining room, a quiet lounge and an accessible garden with two levels, linked by an outside lift. Accommodation is based over three floors and there is a passenger lift in between floors for people with mobility needs.

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

People and their relatives we spoke with, all gave us positive feedback about the home and told us that staff were kind and caring. The environment was warm and homely, and we observed staff speaking to people with kindness and respect.

The home had a consistent staff team who understood the needs of people well. We saw staff upheld and promoted people's rights relating to equality and diversity, and safe recruitment procedures were followed.

Individual and environmental risks were managed appropriately. People had access to appropriate equipment where needed, which meant people were safe from harm. Staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities and knew how to keep people safe from harm.

People received their medicines safely. There were systems in place to ensure that medicines were securely stored, ordered and disposed of correctly and safely However, we found communication systems used to follow up on medicines ordered, were not always robust. Immediate action was taken by the management team to improve the systems used by the end of the inspection.

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 had received appropriate training and support to enable them to carry out their role safely. They received regular supervision to help develop their skills and support them in their role.

Activities had been developed in line with people's wishes and specific needs. Dedicated staff were employed to provide activities, and these were varied and interesting to promote health and well-being.

People were treated with dignity, and their privacy was respected. People's care plans contained detailed information about them and their care and support needs, to help staff deliver personalised care. The management team reviewed the care and support provided to people to make sure it continued to meet their needs.

Staff used positive communication techniques with people so that they felt listened to and valued according to their individual needs.

The provider had systems and processes to monitor quality within the home. The manager understood their regulatory responsibilities and shared information with stakeholders in a timely way.

People, their relatives, staff and external professionals were all positive about the management of the service and told us the manager was very supportive and approachable.

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

Rating at last inspection (and update)

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 30 November 2018) and there was one breach of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

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.