Archived: Kemp Lodge

Updated 27 September 2018

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 29 June and 5 July 2018, the first day was unannounced. It was carried out by an adult social care inspector.

During the inspection we spoke with four people who used the service. We also spoke with eight members of staff; this included the registered manager, deputy manager, operations manager, four support workers and the organisations behavioural support practitioner.

We looked at care records for four people who used the service. We also looked at records showing how the service was managed including quality audits and feedback the registered manager had received from people who used the service and their families.

Before the inspection, the registered manager completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks for key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed the information we held about the home, including the information in the PIR, before we visited the service. We also spoke with the quality assurance team from the local authority. We used this information to plan our inspection.

Updated 27 September 2018

This inspection took place on 29 June and 5 July 2018. The first day of the inspection was unannounced.

Kemp Lodge provides support for people who have an acquired brain injury. It is owned by Voyage Care. The home Lodge can accommodate up to seven people in one adapted building, at the time of our inspection seven people were living at the home.

Kemp Lodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The home had a registered manager. 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.

During our previous inspection in April 2017 there were breaches of Regulations 11 and 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The overall rating of the service was ‘requires improvement’. This is because people using the service and those lawfully acting on their behalf, had not always given consent before care or treatment was provided. The provider did not seek and act on feedback from people using the service, those acting on their behalf, staff and other stakeholders. And, the provider did not maintain accurate, complete and detailed records in respect of each person using the service.

Following the last inspection, we asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve the key questions. Is the service safe? Is the service effective. Is the service responsive? and; Is the service well-led? To at least good.

At this inspection we found that the service was ‘good’ and was no longer in breach of regulations. This was because appropriate procedures had been followed to ensure that the administration of covert medication was appropriate, legal and in the person’s best interests. Also, the service was now working within the principles of the MCA and people’s consent to their care was sought.

At this inspection we looked at the care files for four people. The information contained was up to date, detailed and thorough. Important information to and for a person was clear and highlighted at the front of the care file. People told us that the support they received met their needs. One person said, “I wish to go home. These guys are helping me to get ready for this.”

We also saw that feedback from people, their relatives and staff had been obtained by a stakeholder questionnaire. There were also less formal plans to engage with people; we saw that there was an upcoming friends and family BBQ planned. We also saw that there had been regular ‘house meetings’ were feedback was sought from people living at Kemp Lodge.

People living at the home told us that they felt safe and secure. One person when referring to a member of staff said, “He’s a good friend of mine. He keeps his eye on us. I like it here, I wouldn’t; want to move.” Another person told us, “I feel quite safe here. I like the people here.” There were enough staff at the home to meet people’s needs safely. They had been safely recruited and appropriately trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults. Steps had been taken to ensure that the home’s environment was safe.

People living at the home praised the staff and how they cared for them. People told us that they had got on very well with the staff and had found them friendly. Staff told us that they enjoyed their roles and received appropriate training and support to be effective. People at the home were listened to and were treated with dignity and respect.

People’s needs and choices were assessed as part of the care planning process when arriving at the home. Their support was delivered in line with these by staff who had the skills and knowledge to do so effectively.

We saw that people were supported in a range of meaningful activities both inside the home and in their community. Some of these activities were used to build relationships with people and to build up their confidence.

There was a culture of learning from and with people at the service and using this information to improve the support people receive. There was a focus on enablement and reducing people’s support so if possible, they were able to move into their own homes.

The registered manager and deputy manager were friendly and it was clear that they had positive relationships with the people at the home. The registered manager conducted a series of quality audits on different areas of the home and the quality of the service provided for people.