Kineton Manor Nursing Home

This inspection was carried out following a review of the information we held about the service and changes in management. During the inspection we spoke with people who lived at the service, their relatives, staff, the registered manager, the provider’s nominated individual, 1 of the provider’s directors and sought feedback from other healthcare professionals. We looked at care plans, recruitment files and quality assurance records.

Staffing levels were based on people’s assessed needs and staff with the appropriate skills and experience were visible and available when people needed them. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were assessed and plans implemented to mitigate against identified risks. However, improvements were required to daily records to demonstrate the effective implementation and monitoring of risk management plans. Medicines were stored, managed and administered in accordance with best practice guidance. Processes were in place to promote good infection control and mitigate the risks of any infections spreading. Staff understood their responsibility to report any concerns if people were at risk of harm, discrimination or poor practice.

Staff supported people to maintain their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and referred them to other healthcare professionals when a need was identified. A healthcare professional confirmed referrals were timely and appropriate and good communication with clinical staff promoted positive outcomes for people.

The provider gave people and those closest to them opportunities to provide feedback and make suggestions about the home. People’s sensory needs were assessed and staff provided with information about how best to communicate with them. Where it was identified people may not have capacity to make a specific decision, an assessment was completed in accordance with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff used recognised screening tools to identify when those people who could not verbally communicate their pain or distress required referral to other health and social care professionals. People were encouraged to discuss their wishes and preferences for the care they received in their final days, and this was recorded in an advance care plan. Kineton Manor Nursing Home was accredited under the Gold Standards Framework (GSF) which is a national framework of tools and tasks that aims to deliver a ‘gold standard of care’ for all people nearing the end of their lives.

A previous registered manager had recently returned to the home and their registration with CQC was completed during our inspection visit. The registered manager had already identified and prioritised improvements that needed to be made and demonstrated a commitment to improving standards within the home. Staff were extremely positive about the appointment of the new registered manager and felt confident to raise concerns and share suggestions. We saw examples where concerns had been shared, and actions taken to improve practice and people’s experiences.

The registered manager completed a range of checks and audits to ensure compliance with legislative requirements and assess the quality of the service being provided. Some checks needed to be more robust to ensure any concerns relating to the environment were quickly identified and daily records were consistently maintained. The provider demonstrated a commitment to learning and improving and acknowledged their oversight had not always been effective in assessing performance and ensuring continuous development. Actions were being implemented to improve their oversight of the service.