Kimberly West & East Care Centres

Updated 6 June 2020

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was undertaken by two inspectors and an 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

Kimberly West & East Care Centres is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

In Kimberly West, the service looks after up to 8 “step up patients”, which means that they help to care for people who are too ill to remain at home or in their care home. The aim of these beds is to try and prevent the need for people to be admitted to hospital.

Kimberly East has 7 “step down” beds, which provide rehabilitation support for people who have been discharged from hospital but who are not quite ready to return home.

The service also has 4 “discharge two assess” beds. These are for people that have been in hospital and are waiting for a placement in a care home or a package of care.

The service can also provide support to young adult’s for end of life care and bariatric care.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced on the first day.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with 12 people who used the service and 6 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 13 members of staff including the director, operations director, registered manager, care workers, housekeeping and catering staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included 18 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We asked the provider for contact details of those health and social care professionals involved in the service, who would be happy to give us feedback about the home. Of the list provided, we contacted 34 health and social care professionals and two responded.

Updated 6 June 2020

About the service

Kimberly West & East Care Centres is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 48 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 54 people.

The home was purpose built and accommodated people over three floors in two adjoining buildings. One building is known as Kimberly West, whilst the other is Kimberly East. Both are identical in layout but share a central kitchen and laundry. In addition to long term care, the home provided intermediate and ‘step up’ care. This type of care aims to reduce the number of hospital admissions and enable people to regain their independence and return home.

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

Before the inspection we received concerns from some people and their relatives that there were not enough staff. Feedback included people waiting for assistance with their personal care, including using the bathroom. During the inspection we did not see any evidence that the service was short staffed. Staff were recruited safely, and the provider used a dependency tool to calculate the number of staff needed.

While staff know people’s needs well there were some minor shortfalls in the written records. Some records did not show people had enough to drink and information within people’s care plans was variable. Some areas were detailed but others did not reflect individual needs. The provider told us that this was due to change from a written recording system to an electronic system

We also observed positive interactions and received positive feedback about the staff being kind and caring. People had a range of social activities available to them. Volunteers were used to help this provision. People’s religious, cultural and spiritual beliefs were known and supported.

People and their relatives knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint.

Staff were aware of their responsibilities to identify and report possible abuse. Staff spoke highly of the training they received. They received a range of training to help them do their job effectively.

There were systems in place to prevent and control infection

People’s medicines were safely managed and administered by registered nurses. Detailed wound treatment plans were in place and records showed effective wound care had been provided. People were supported by a range of health and social care professionals to ensure their wellbeing.

People were supported to have choice and control of their lives. The policies and systems in place supported people in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.

The buildings were purpose built, in line with best practice guidance.

Staff were passionate about providing good end of life care. Good outcomes for people were given.

There were a range of audits to assess the quality and safety of the service.

The registered manager was supported by a wider management team. Each had their own roles and responsibilities and showed a passion for ensuring people received a good service. There was a commitment to ongoing learning and development and clear networking took place.

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 26 January 2019).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about insufficient numbers of staff and people’s care. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

Follow up

We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.