Princess Louise Kensington Nursing Home

Updated 15 August 2023

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.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of 2 inspectors, 1 specialist, 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

Princess Louise Kensington Nursing 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. Princess Louise Kensington Nursing Home is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

The 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 was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

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

During the inspection

We reviewed a range of records including care and support plans for 5 people. We looked at records of recruitment, training and supervision records for 5 care workers. We reviewed records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance and building audits. We also looked at accident and incidents and complaints records.

We used the Short Observational Framework for inspection (SOFI) SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk to us.

Updated 15 August 2023

About the service.

Princess Louise Kensington Nursing Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 44 people. The service provides support to older people, people living with dementia, and people requiring treatment of disease, disorder, or injury. At the time of our inspection there were 43 people using the service.

The care home accommodates 43 people in one adapted building over 3 floors. There were 2 units per floor, with units on the ground floor specialising in providing care to people living with dementia.

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

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

Right Support: 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. Staff supported people to make decisions following best practice in decision-making. Staff communicated with people in ways that met their needs.

Staff supported people to play an active role in maintaining their own health and wellbeing.

Right Care: People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs.

Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.

Right Culture: People were kept safe from avoidable harm because staff knew them well and understood how to protect them from abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. People could take part in activities and pursue interests that were tailored to them. The service gave people opportunities to try new activities that enhanced and enriched their lives. People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to sensitivities people with learning disabilities or autistic people may have. Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting people to live a quality of life of their choosing wherever possible.

At the inspection, we noted that the lift was faulty and did not go to the top floor. This was highlighted to the registered manager who immediately arranged for the fault to be fixed.

We observed that the home was clean, and people appeared comfortable with staff and care workers. People said that they felt safe at the service and thought it was a nice place to live. One relative said, “[Family member] is happy. The place is looked after. I am in touch with 5 other people who see [family member]. Everyone says how nice the home is.”

Care plans were person-centred and included information about support needs and aspirations. We saw care workers supporting people to socialise and take part in daily activities in a relaxed and unrestrictive manner.

People and their relatives said they thought the service was caring. One relative said, “The care if first class. They make [family member] very relaxed and content. Very impressed first-class team caring staff.

Regular face to face meetings were held with care workers, staff and relatives and people to ensure concerns or good practice was discussed and shared. Throughout the inspection we observed a friendly relaxed atmosphere. Relatives were free to visit people throughout the day.

People said that they thought the home was well-led. One health care professional said, “The home is well liked by families. After discharge to assessment have been completed, many families wish for [people] to remain in the home.”

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The service was inspected but not rated, the overall findings at the time of inspection was requires improvement (published 08 March 2022)

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted by a review of information we held about the service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

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