Archived: Kendal Bank Care

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.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people using the service, the staff supporting them and from looking at records. If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

People were treated with respect and dignity by the staff. People told us that staff treated them well.

People were cared for by staff who were aware of risks to people's safety and health. Staff knew how to support them in a safe way. Staff supported people to move safely using equipment they had been trained to use and that had been well maintained and serviced regularly.

People were protected from the risks associated with medicines. There were systems in place to ensure the safe storage and administration of medicines.

Is the service effective?

People told us that they were happy with the care they received and their care needs were met. It was clear from observations and from speaking with staff that they had a good understanding of people's care and support needs. One person told us, ""I like all of it (the care they received). If I want anything I ring my bell.' Staff had received training to meet the needs of people living in the home.

Is the service caring?

People were supported by kind and respectful staff. We saw that staff showed patience and compassion when supporting people. People told us that they could do things they enjoyed. Our observations confirmed this. One person told us, "They do what I like.' A member of staff told us," Everyone is looked after very well."

Is the service responsive?

People's needs were reviewed every month and in response to any changing needs. We saw information in people's records which indicated they had been consulted about the care they received. This meant that information about people's preferences was gathered and used to plan care to meet their specific needs. Staff also told us that they involved people each day by asking them what they wanted. People were supported to maintain relationships with people that were important to them.

Is the service well led?

The service worked well with health and social care professionals and services to make sure people received their care in a joined up way.

The service had systems in place to monitor the quality of care. Records showed that the registered provider monitored people's care needs and the care provided. This helped to ensure that people received a good quality service at all times.

People spoke highly about the food they were offered and were given a choice of suitable food and drink to meet their nutritional needs.

Staff received appropriate training however did not always receive supervision or appraisals.

The home had systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the service and people's views were sought.

People we spoke to told us they "were happy with the care they received". One said "I have been here a long time and I am really happy here". During our observations we observed staff treating people with dignity, respect and care.

Staff demonstrated an understanding of individuals needs in the planning of care, and people were supported to be involved.

We looked at the care records. They were person centred, organised and detailed. They documented people's needs and wishes.

Equality and diversity had been considered by the home. We saw that equipment and adaptations had been provided.

Records showed that staff who provided care had received safeguarding training. People told us they knew who they could talk to if they were unhappy with anything.

The records showed that in order to provide safe and effective care the home provided on-going training, appraisals and supervision to staff.

We saw that people in the home each had a copy of the complaints procedure. The manager told us that they had received no complaints. The people we spoke to told us they knew they could complain if they needed to.