Kensington Home Care

Updated 25 April 2024

We carried out our on-site assessment on 9 May 2024, off site assessment activity started on 8 May 2024 and ended on 14 May 2024. We looked at 95 evidence categories within 34 quality statements. The service performed well against the majority of statements we looked at. There were areas for improvement in evidence categories linked to timeliness of care calls, cultural awareness of staff and future care planning. Safeguarding procedures and policies were in place and implemented effectively. Risks were regularly reviewed following a detailed pre-assessment process and proactive work with other health and social care partners. People and their relatives were involved in care planning. The provider has a ‘visiting officer’ role in place and this proved effective in understanding people’s needs from the outset. 6 monthly reviews were used to assess how people were finding the service and if any changes needed to be made. The visiting officer worked closely with the care co-ordinator and registered manager; the team had a strong understanding of people’s needs. Staffing levels were sufficient to keep people safe, although there were times when staff arrived late for care calls, or did not stay the full time. Rotas were well planned and the registered manager was working to reduce the number of delayed calls, and to improve communication in this regard. The majority of people who used the service described positive experiences, with carers being kind and respectful. Where particular concerns were raised about standard of food preparation. The registered manager acted on these. The registered manager worked well with local partners. They had suitable experience in social care and led the service strongly. They acknowledged they could do more to explore links with other community organisations or educational establishments and were responsive to feedback.

Updated 25 April 2024

People were supported to maintain their independence and had a clear say in how they planned and received care. People, relatives and staff felt they could speak up if they had any concerns. Where they had done so, the registered manager took prompt, effective action. Some people raised concerns about the ability of some staff to communicate effectively, and to understand their food preferences. There were examples of poor outcomes for people in terms of food preparation. The registered manager was aware of this and was responsive to feedback regarding how to make improvements. People confirmed staff completed the tasks that had been agreed in advance as their care plan, and that the service got in touch through a range of means to see if any changes were needed. People told us they felt safe and felt the service delivered what they expected the majority of the time. Some people had experience delayed calls but never significantly so. Representative comments included, “It’s a local company and the quality of the care they give mum has given mum a new lease of life. No I don’t think there is anything else they could do to improve it.” Another said, “Overall it’s a good service. There have been some issues with staff understanding our culture and some communication difficulties though.” Another said, “To tell you the truth it’s a small company and the staff treat me respectfully and as a human being. I did have problems in the beginning but it’s all been sorted.”