Kingston House

Inspectors saw friendly, compassionate support. People had caring relationships with staff, who respected their privacy, dignity and individual needs.

“People received kind and compassionate care from staff who protected and respected their privacy and dignity and understood and responded to their individual needs.” from the report

Rotas showed there were enough staff to meet people's current needs. Inspectors also saw staff respond promptly when people asked for help.

“Rotas confirmed that sufficient staff were on duty at all times to meet people's current needs.” from the report

Staff used different ways to communicate with people who could not speak verbally. They supported people to make choices about their care and how they spent their day.

“Staff supported people to be as independent as possible with making decisions about their care and support and how they planned their day.” from the report

The home worked with health and social care professionals and made appropriate referrals when people's needs or conditions changed.

“The service worked collaboratively with professionals and commissioners to ensure people's needs were met.” from the report

Medicine records were incomplete and did not match the stock held. A review found that one person had missed a medicine for 10 days, which had not been identified before the inspection.

“This review found a person had 'missed' their medication for 10 days.” from the report

Some identified risks, including choking and recurring infections, did not have risk assessments explaining how staff should keep people safe. Fire drills and safety checks for utilities were also inadequate.

“Therefore, staff lacked necessary guidance on how to protect people from identified risks.” from the report

Inspectors reviewed two new staff files and found that relevant checks had not been completed, including references. This meant there was no assurance that staff were safe to work with vulnerable people.

“Both showed that relevant recruitment checks had not been obtained, for example references had not been gained.” from the report

The provider had not put effective systems in place to monitor quality and safety. Audits, staff supervision and formal feedback opportunities were missing, despite similar concerns at the previous inspection.

“The provider had failed to establish satisfactory governance arrangements.” from the report

Staff had not completed a fire drill since July 2022. Inspectors said this created a risk that staff would not know how to keep people safe during a fire.

“Staff had not competed a fire drill since 27 July 2022.” from the report