The Inspection took place on 15 March 2017 and 4 April 2017 and was unannounced.

Kathryn Court is registered to provide accommodation and personal care without nursing to 52 older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. The service was full on both inspection dates and there is a waiting list in place.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The service had excellent quality assurance systems in place to monitor the service and to drive improvements. The registered manager and staff put people at the heart of what they do and provide a high quality service that not only meets but exceeds people’s expectations.

People consistently received safe care and support. Staff had a very good understanding of how to protect people from the risk of harm. There were always enough staff on duty who had been safely recruited to ensure they provided people with safe care that met their needs and expectations. Risks to people were well managed by a confident staff team. Where people required support with their medication it was done so correctly. People received their medication safely and as prescribed.

People were well cared for by staff who were well trained and supported and had the knowledge and skills to carry out their role competently. Staff had access to up to date guidance and information to support them when necessary. The registered manager and staff had a clear and detailed understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and had received training to ensure that where people lacked the capacity to make decisions they were protected. People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet and their healthcare needs had been met.

Without exception staff were kind, caring, compassionate and thoughtful and they knew the people they cared for well. They always respected people and ensured that their privacy and dignity was maintained at all times. People were encouraged and supported to express their views and opinions and received the support they needed to follow their individual hobbies and interests. The service provided people with advocacy contact details for use if needed.

People and their relatives had been fully involved in the assessment and care planning process. They said that the service ‘went the extra mile’ to involve them with people’s on-going care. People’s care plans and risk assessments ensured that they were cared for in a way they preferred. The care plans provided staff with the information they needed to meet individual’s needs and preferences and to care for them safely.

People’s complaints and concerns were dealt with swiftly to their satisfaction which gave them the confidence to raise any concerns.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The last time we inspected the service was on 19 December 2013 when the service was compliant with the Regulations assessed.

This inspection was unannounced.

Kathryn Court is a purpose built care home that provides a service for up to 52 older people who have care needs with or without dementia. The home offers accommodation over two floors. There are two shared bedrooms, the rest of the bedrooms are for single occupancy. All rooms have an en-suite facility. The service was fully occupied when we inspected it.

A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and shares the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law with the provider. At the time of our inspection a registered manager was in place.

During our inspection we spoke with 22 people using the service, nine relatives and two visiting professionals. We spoke with the manager deputy manager and six members of staff.

People were happy with the service they were receiving and we received many positive comments about the service, the management and the staff team.

The CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. We saw that there were policies, procedures and information available in relation to the MCA and DoLS to ensure that people who could not make decisions for themselves were protected. We saw from the records we looked at that the service was applying these safeguards appropriately. This was through assessing people’s capacity and making appropriate referrals to the supervisory body, (the Local Authority,) if people’s liberty was being restricted.

We found that people’s health care needs were assessed, and care planned and delivered in a consistent way. From the six people’s plans of care we looked at we found that the information and guidance provided to staff was, apart from two instances, clear. It would enable them to provide appropriate and individual care. Any risks associated with people’s care needs were assessed and plans were in place to minimise the risk as far as possible to keep people safe.

During our observations throughout the day we saw that staff clearly knew how to support people in a way that the person wished to be supported. We found that sufficient numbers of staff were being provided to meet people’s needs.

Staff had the knowledge and skills that they needed to support people. They received training and on-going support to enable them to understand people’s diverse needs and work in ways that were safe and protected people.

We saw that staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and worked in ways that demonstrated this. Staff knocked on people’s doors, asked for permission before providing any personal care, and used curtains and blankets when hoisting or carrying out care to protect people’s dignity.

Records we looked and people we spoke with showed us that the social and daily activities provided suited people and met their individual needs. People could make their own decisions about if they undertook activities or not. People’s preferred daily routines had been recorded and we saw that staff respected these.

Records viewed showed that people were able to complain or raise any concerns if they needed to. We saw that where people had raised issues that these were taken seriously and dealt with appropriately. People could therefore feel confident that any concerns they had would be listened to.

The provider used a variety of ways to assess the quality and safety of the service that it provided. People using the service and their families were consulted with. The organisation undertook a range of monitoring and areas such as health and safety and medication were regularly audited.

The management team at the service were well established and provided good and consistent leadership.

People told us that they were happy with the care and support provided at Kathryn Court. People felt that the service was responsive to their needs and caring. People said, "I think it is marvelous here," "The staff are kind and friendly," and, "I have to say the food is very good here and you have a choice about what you do."

We saw that people's care needs were assessed and planned for with any risks associated with their care being minimised as far as possible to keep people safe. The service was caring and responsive to people's changing needs. Staff sought support from other professionals or agencies when needed. Staff had a good knowledge of people's individual needs and offered them appropriate support. People had opportunities for activity and occupation.

The service was kept clean and provided a hygienic and pleasant place for people to live.

People felt that there were sufficient staff to meet their needs. We found that staff were supported to be effective in their role through good levels of training and on-going supervision.

People told us that any concerns they had were listened to and acted on. We found that any complaints made were properly investigated and responded to.

Overall we found Kathryn Court to be a caring, effective, responsive, safe and well led service.

People living in Kathryn Court and their families were happy with the level of care and support offered. People told us, "The care is excellent," "You could not find anywhere better," and, "They are very good with the little touches." Families told us that they felt involved and were consulted regarding people's ongoing care needs. We saw that people's care needs were assessed and planned for with any risks associated with their care being minimised as far as possible.

Staff said that they were well supported and had opportunities for training. We saw that staff were kept up to date with training in essential areas such as moving and handling. Staff felt that communication and teamwork in the service was good. This would help to ensure that people receive a good and consistent service.

People were happy with the quality of the service and there were good systems in place to ensure that the quality and safety of the service was monitored and maintained.

People told us that they were happy living in Kathryn Court. They felt that the staff were kind, caring and able to meet their needs. People said that staff were usually available when they needed them, but that they might have to wait a while for help at busy times.

People said that they were given choice about how they spent their time and that they could join in activities if they wanted to. People said that they liked their rooms and were happy with the food provided.

People thought that the home was well managed. Several people told us that they had discussed issues directly with the manager and they had been quick to sort things out for them.