Kirtling House

Updated 1 June 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Kirtling House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Kirtling House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received since the last inspection, including notifications we received from the service. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During the inspection we spoke with four people living at the home, the registered manager and three recovery workers. We looked at a range of records including recovery support plans for two people, recruitment files for two staff, training records, risk assessments and medicines records. We also looked at information regarding the arrangements for monitoring the quality and safety of the service provided within the home. Following the inspection visit we received feedback from two community health and social care professionals who work with the service.

Updated 1 June 2022

About the service

Kirtling House is a residential care home without nursing that provides support to up to eight people with mental health needs, accommodated in one adapted building. The service aims to support people to reach their potential, moving towards independent living and social inclusion. At the time of our inspection there were eight people using the service.

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

People spoke positively about their experience of using the service. For example, a person told us, “Best place I’ve ever been in. Staff show that they care. They’re always asking how you are. They show an interest.” Another person said, “Staff have a good understanding of mental illness; what happens and how to handle it.” Another person told us, “Staff are very supportive and non-judgemental, which is very important with mental health.”

There were systems and processes in place to protect people from harm. Staff were trained in how to recognise and respond to abuse and understood their responsibility to report any concerns. Risk assessments were in place to support people to be as independent as possible. There were sufficient numbers of experienced staff to meet people’s needs. Safe recruitment practices were followed to make sure only suitable staff were employed to care for people in the home. People’s medicines were stored and well managed to ensure their safe and proper use. The service had effective systems for preventing and controlling infection. Staff took appropriate action following accidents and incidents to ensure people’s safety and this was appropriately recorded and reported.

The provider and registered manager were promoting an open, empowering and inclusive culture within the service. There were a range of systems in place to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the service and to ensure people were receiving appropriate support. The service worked in partnership with other agencies to support people’s needs and promote good practice.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 10 April 2019).

Why we inspected

At the last inspection the service had been without a registered manager for over a year, which meant that the rating for the well led key question could not be rated better than requires improvement.

While a manager had subsequently been registered, we wanted to see if the provider had maintained a consistent level of service, so we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The rating for the well-led key question has changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection. The overall rating of good for the service has not changed.

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.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.