Elegance of Kettering

Elegance of Kettering is a residential care home providing accommodation, nursing and personal care for up to 19 older people, or people with dementia. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 15 people in one adapted building.

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

We were unable to view multiple records relating to people’s care and governance. People, their relatives and staff were able to provide us with some assurances, however, we could not be fully assured in most areas because of this.

Actions had not been taken on known fire risks in the building.

Food storage and the cleanliness of kitchen equipment required improving.

Staffing levels were assessed and maintained. People, their relatives and staff told us there was enough staff to support people with their assessed needs.

People’s needs were assessed before they moved into the service. People were supported by staff who were kind, caring and compassionate. Staff interacted well with people and knew individual needs. People told us staff were respectful and promoted their independence.

People told us the food was nice and they had choices of meals offered daily. People were regularly offered drinks. People told us they were supported to access health and medical appointments as required. People received medicines as prescribed by trained staff who followed best practice.

People were supported to stay in contact with their friends and families. Relatives were kept up to date on their loved ones changing needs or any incidents that may have occurred.

The home appeared clean and staff used personal protective equipment (PPE) effectively to reduce to risk of infections.

People, relatives and staff knew who the provider was and felt comfortable raising any concerns, complaints or suggestions. The provider was visible in the service and operated an ‘open door policy’ for anyone who needed to discuss anything. People and their relatives were asked to feedback on the service annually.

Staff felt supported by the provider and received regular supervisions and meeting to discuss the service and to ensure staff had the information required to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.

People told us they 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.

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 inspected not rated (published 20 March 2020)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

The overall rating for the service has changed from inspected not rated to requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service.

We have identified two breaches in relation to safety of premises and equipment and good governance at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Elegance of Kettering provides accommodation and personal or nursing care for up to 19 older people, some of whom live with a dementia. The home was pleasantly furnished and had an accessible garden area. At the time of our inspection, only one person was living at the home and this was for a short period of time. We did not rate the service because there was insufficient evidence to make a judgement.

People’s experience of using this service

The person using the service was safe. Staff were trained to safeguard the person and knew how to keep them safe from risks to their safety and well-being. The provider had arrangements in place to maintain and service the premises and equipment to make sure they were safe. The premises were clean and tidy. Staff followed good practice when providing care and when preparing and handling food which reduced infection risks.

There were enough trained and competent staff to support the person. The provider carried out checks on staff before they started work to make sure they were suitable for the role. The provider met with staff regularly to keep them up to date with any changes at the services.

The person and other health and social care professionals were involved in planning the care and support they needed. Their records contained information for staff about how they should be supported with their physical and mental health needs. Staff provided support in line with the person's wishes.

The person was supported to attend regular appointments with professionals involved in their care and treatment. Recommendations from professionals were acted on so that the person received relevant care and support in relation to their healthcare needs. The person was encouraged to eat meals they liked, to drink enough to meet their needs and to take their prescribed medicines.

Staff were friendly and kind and supported the person in a dignified way which maintained their privacy and independence. 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.

There were a range of spaces for the person to spend time in when at home and staff were supporting the person to take part in activities of their choice.

There were systems in place to assess the quality and safety of the service. However, we could not fully check at this inspection if these were effective to improve the quality and safety of the service when needed.

The service had only been supporting the person using the service for three months; we were unable to obtain sufficient evidence of consistent good practice to rate the service at this time.

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

Rating at last inspection:

This service was registered with us on 1 February 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on when the service registered with us.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.