Archived: Kendal Bank Care

Updated 12 May 2016

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 11 April 2016. It was carried out by one inspector and was unannounced.

Before the inspection we looked at information we received on the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We spoke with the three people living in the home and one relative. We also talked with both partners and the care worker. We looked at three people’s care records including their Medicine Administration Records (MAR). We looked at one staff file, training records and other documentation related to the running of the home. We spoke with a representative from the local authority and talked with two health and social care professionals.

We used general observations to help us understand people’s experience of living in the home.

Updated 12 May 2016

This inspection took place on 11 April 2016. It was carried out by one inspector and was unannounced.

Kendal Bank Care provides accommodation and personal care for up to three older people. It is a family run service, ran as a partnership. Each partner having clearly defined roles, one as the manager who also provided day to day care of people and the other partner provided support to the care staff as well as supporting the manager with administration and business affairs. There was one care worker employed by the home.

People lived on the ground floor and each had their individual rooms. There was a lounge area, kitchen/ diner, bathroom and access to the garden. The owners lived upstairs. People had a call bell so they could request help at any time.

Some of the people had lived in the home for a number of years, they had grown older during that time and their needs had changed. The home adapted to people’s changing needs. The emphasis was on it being people’s homes as well as the owners and the comments from both people and staff were that they were like a family. The manager had ensured that the home was meeting its regulatory requirements and there were systems and processes in place to ensure the smooth running of the home.

The manager told us about the advantages of running a small home and how it meant they were able to get to know people well. They had developed care plans based on individual preferences, likes dislikes and people’s needs. The manager had a “hands on” approach which meant they were in frequent contact with people, their families and health and social care professionals.

People had access to healthcare when they needed it. The manager told us they had developed good communication with a range of healthcare professionals and contacted them directly when required. People’s care records demonstrated contact with a variety of healthcare professionals.

People were supported to maintain contact with family and friends who were important to them and there were no restrictions on visiting times. People had different interests and liked to spend the day in way which suited them, such as reading or crafts.

There were good relationships between both partners and the care worker, they worked closely together. The manager provided formal supervision as well as day to day supervision and training as required.

Staff received appropriate training to ensure they had the right skills to support people to live at Kendal Bank Care.

People had sufficient to eat and drink. They were offered a choice at mealtimes and snacks were provided during the day. People had drinks within easy reach. The manager had completed training in nutrition and had obtained advice from a nutritionist about the food they provided, which people told us was good.