Archived: Kingscourt

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated good:

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Risks to people were assessed and where required a risk management plan was in place to support people manage an identified risk and keep the person safe.

Staffing numbers were sufficient to meet people’s needs and this ensured people were supported safely. People told us they felt safe living at the service.

The provider ensured that new staff completed an induction training programme which prepared them for their role. Training was completed in essential matters to ensure staff and people at the service were safe. Staff were supported through a supervision programme.

People were supported to maintain good health and had access to external health care professionals when required.

Staff were caring towards people and there was a good relationship between people and staff. Staff demonstrated an understanding of the needs and preferences of the people they cared for.

Support provided to people met their needs. Supporting records highlighted personalised information about what was important to people and how to support them. People were involved in activities of their choice.

There were systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service. Staff described the registered and assistant manager as supportive and approachable. Comments from people confirmed they were happy with the service and the support received.

We found that people living at Kingscourt and their representatives had been involved in planning their care and staff were familiar with people's needs.

The support plans we saw provided details of people's individual needs, wishes and preferences. The home sought advice from external healthcare professionals where necessary and this was recorded in people's care files. A range of activities were provided and people could choose whether they wished to take part.

The provider had not ensured that service users were protected against the risk of infections because they did not effectively operate systems which were designed to assess the risk of and prevent, detect and control the spread of a health care associated infection. We also saw that the provider did not maintain appropriate standards of cleanliness and hygiene in the home.

We found that pre-employment checks were undertaken before staff began work and there were effective recruitment and selection processes in place. Staff had also received appropriate induction training.

The provider had effective quality assurance systems in place to monitor the performance of the home. The views of people living there and their representatives were taken into consideration.

People told us that they met with their key worker every week to discuss their care needs. One person told us that they talked to their key worker about how their college courses were going, and if they were happy living at the home.

We were told by staff that people were supported to be as independent as possible. During the day we observed staff encouraging people to do tasks for themselves. We saw from people's timetables that they took part in many of activities in the community. This was confirmed by people living in the home.

We saw that people had agreed short and long term goals set within their care plans. Progress people had made towards meeting these goals was recorded in monthly reviews by their key worker. Daily records that we looked at showed that people were receiving support in line with their care plans.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe living at the home. All staff had received safeguarding adults training and were aware of how to raise concerns.

People told us that there were enough staff working at the home. They told us that they were able to go on activities when they wanted to and staff were available to support them. The home adapted the staffing levels provided according to the needs of the people living at the home.