Kiln Lodge

Updated 18 April 2020

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.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Kiln Lodge 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 did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This means that the provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. However, at the time of the inspection, there was in post a newly appointed manager who was in the process of applying to be registered with the CQC.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service and four relatives and one professional about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eleven members of staff including the provider, the manager, the deputy managers, carers, human resources manager, housekeeping manager, housekeeper and the head of the kitchen.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We received feedback from three professionals who regularly visit the service.

Updated 18 April 2020

About the service

Kiln Lodge provides accommodation and personal care for up to 24 people, some of whom may be living with dementia or have a physical disability. At the time of our inspection 21 people lived at the home.

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

A registered manager was not in post. However, the manager had submitted an application to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and this was in progress.

People's care planning records contained detailed risk assessments linked to their needs. There were mostly safe medicines administration, management and storage systems in place. The provider and manager were in the process of embedding more robust systems and protocols in relation to medicines management and administration. The provider had processes in place to learn from incidents and accidents. There were sufficient staff to meet people's needs and keep them safe.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff 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 felt staff were well trained. We found that supervisions, appraisals and team meetings had not been completed consistently but that there had been an improvement since the manager had been in post.

People and their relatives told us that the food was good. People were encouraged to maintain a healthy, balanced diet, based on their individual needs and could access food and drink when they wanted to. Staff involved people, and where appropriate, their relatives to ensure people received effective health care support.

People, their relatives and professionals were positive about the quality of care and support people received. We saw a warm and caring approach by staff with positive and kind interactions between staff and people. Staff spoke about people with genuine interest and affection. There was a strong emphasis on promoting people's independence and people’s private information was kept confidential.

Care plans were personalised, and each person's preferred personal care routines were detailed and incorporated their preferences. We observed most staff were unhurried and spent time interacting with people and were focused on the well-being of each individual. People and their relatives were positive about the activities available. People and relatives knew how to complain if they needed to and felt they would be listened to.

The service was led by a management team whose passion and drive to deliver a good service, leading by example, was evident. The manager promoted an inclusive, value based and positive culture and were committed to developing and valuing staff. The provider and manager had established links with external agencies ensuring successful partnership working. The manager and provider had quality assurance procedures to drive on-going improvements that were not always effective.

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 17 January 2019) and there were multiple breaches 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.