Keer Sands Residential Home

Updated 14 March 2024

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection, we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of 1 inspector and 1 Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Keer Sands Residential Home 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. Keer Sands Residential Home is a care home without nursing care. 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 were 2 registered managers in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spent 1 day on site observing the provision of care. We spoke with 7 people who used the service and 8 family members. We spoke with 5 members of staff including 1 of the registered managers and care workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care plans, 3 staff files, and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including health and safety and quality assurance. We requested documentary evidence of management oversight to review remotely following the inspection site visit.

Updated 14 March 2024

About the service

Keer Sands Residential Home is a residential care home providing accommodation for people who require personal care. The home can accommodate 10 people. The service provides support to older people. At the time of our inspection there were 10 people using the service.

Keer Sands Residential Home is an adapted building surrounded by farms and fields. The home has 2 floors with a stair lift, lounge, dining room, an external conservatory, and a rear yard. There are 8 single rooms and 1 double room. All bedrooms have hand washing facilities with bathrooms and toilets in easy access on both floors. All rooms have a view of farms and countryside.

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

People were safe. We found systems and processes to manage risk were robust and kept people safe. People and their relatives also confirmed they felt safe. One person told us, “I can recommend it to anyone. Have no fears about this place, it’s wonderful.” All family members we talked to told us the service was safe, they had no cause for concern, and they wouldn’t have their family member anywhere else.

Medicines were managed safely. The medicines practices were good, and all medicines paperwork was current. We found the medicines storage area was also very tidy and managed well. We found 2 minor gaps in medicines practice and these were repaired during the inspection. The registered managers focused on supporting people with the least restrictive options to prevent people from being over-medicated.

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.

People were protected from abuse. There were robust systems in place to keep people safe from abuse and staff were trained to respond to any abuse they might see.

Staffing was safe. We found the staff recruitment and training was good and enabled staff to support people with exceptional care.

The prevention and control of infection was good. Systems were in place and staff followed current guidance to keep people safe.

The registered managers and staff worked to learn lessons and make improvements to keep things from going wrong in future.

The whole staff team in the service ensured people were well-treated, supported, and respected. This was evident throughout the inspection. Staff were confident, skilled, and exceptionally caring. Staff were empowered to use their caring natures to improve the lives of people in the home.

People were supported by staff to be involved and express their views and making decisions about their care. This was done with empathy and was done by knowing the people well and watching for new changes in behaviours. The staff then worked to get ahead of any problems to ensure people didn’t have heightened anxieties.

All people were supported with privacy, dignity, and independence. Staff worked with people to anticipate needs and problem solve so people remained individuals and to encourage full engagement.

The registered managers promoted a positive culture that was person-centred and empowering. This led a dedicated staff team to take initiative and actively support people with very good care.

The service staff and managers worked exceptionally well with others. Other health professionals provided unanimous positive feedback regarding the service.

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 this service was good (published 17 November 2017).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, caring, and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from good to outstanding based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Keer Sands Residential Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.