Katherine House

Updated 3 August 2023

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

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Katherine 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. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced on the first day of the inspection 17 May 2023 and we let the registered manager know we would be returning the next day to complete the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it registered with CQC.

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

We spoke with and met all 8 people who used the service and 1 relative. We spoke with 9 members of staff including the provider representative, registered manager, deputy manager, and 6 care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care records and the medication records for 4 people. We looked at 2 staff members recruitment records. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

Updated 3 August 2023

About the service

Katherine House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 9 people. The service provides support to people with a learning disability, and autistic people.

Katherine House is a residential house with some adaptions. At the time of our inspection there were 8 people using the service.

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

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right Support:

Some risks to people had not been sufficiently assessed and documented in their care records. Some parts of the environment were not always kept clean. Medicines were not always managed safely and staff competency assessments were not completed in line with the provider's own policy, and good practice.

Katherine House is a small, ordinary home forming part of a local community. The property does not appear to be a care home and mirrors the other properties on the road. People's bedrooms were personalised in line with their preferences and choices. Staff communicated with people in a way that met their needs. People were safeguarded from abuse.

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.

Right Care:

People were supported by caring and kind staff. Staff had received appropriate training, knew people well and supported people in line with their preferences. Staff worked in partnership with other agencies to promote people's health and wellbeing.

Right Culture:

Governance systems were not always robust and actions identified were not always followed up in a timely way. The oversight of risk was not always effective. Relatives and professionals had not been asked to provide feedback about their views.

The registered manager promoted a positive culture and led by example. Staff demonstrated their knowledge of people and were respectful of people. Staff took time to offer support and reassurance when this was needed.

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 the service was good (published July 2021).

Why we inspected

We received some concerns about how safeguarding concerns were managed. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those concerns.

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.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and good governance. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection program. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.