About the service:

Kevlin House is a care home that provides care for up to 15 older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. At the time of our inspection 14 people were receiving care. The service is in one adapted building.

People’s experience of using this service:

People at Kevlin House received outstanding care and support by a staff team that were committed, passionate and knowledgeable. Staff provided people’s care in a very person-centred way. Staff were creative in helping people to express their views and people were consulted about all aspects of their care and support.

People felt safe at the service and were protected from avoidable harm by a staff team trained and confident to recognise and report any concerns. Potential risks to people were assessed and minimised and people received their medicines at the right times. There were enough staff to ensure people’s needs were met safely in a way that suited them. People received care from staff who were well trained and well supported. Staff worked well together and with external care professionals to ensure people received the care and support they needed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The provider’s policies and systems supported this practice. Staff respected people’s views and people were fully involved in making decisions about their care and support.

Staff were genuinely interested in, and found out about, people’s interests and supported them to maintain or rekindle these. They knew people well and were skilled at engaging them in activities they enjoyed, including trips out. Staff encouraged and promoted positive relationships between people living at the service. They encouraged people to maintain existing relationships and invited relatives to attend frequent social events at the service.

Staff were caring, compassionate and empowering which reflected the provider’s values of person centred care. Staff treated people with the utmost respect and had embedded privacy and dignity into their working practice. There was a strong recognition that people were individuals. Staff spoke passionately about providing people with excellent, person-centred care. Staff showed real empathy for people. They were skilled at recognising when people were feeling vulnerable and needed reassurance.

The provider and registered manager were experienced, skilled leaders who were committed to involving people, relatives, staff and other stakeholders in the development of the service. Audits, quality monitoring checks and action plans helped drive forward further improvements in the service. The success of the care provided at Kevlin House was recognised by external care professionals at the Norfolk Care Awards over the last three years.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 31 August 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned, unannounced inspection, based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor all information we receive about the service and schedule the next inspection accordingly.

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

This inspection took place on 10 August 2016 and was unannounced. The service provided accommodation for up to 14 persons who require nursing or personal care. There were 14 people living in the home when we inspected, all of whom were living with dementia.

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. There was a registered manager in post.

People were safe living in the home and staff understood their responsibilities to protect people from harm or abuse and had received relevant safeguarding training. Staff were confident in reporting incidents and accidents should they occur.

There were effective processes in place to minimise risk to individuals. Assessments had taken place regarding people’s individual risks and clear guidance was in place for staff to follow in order to reduce these. Staff supported people to take their medicines safely. People were supported to access healthcare.

People received care from trained staff who were competent in their roles. Staff felt supported by the registered manager. They sought consent from people and had a good understanding of people’s mental capacity.

There were drinks available in communal areas and people were offered drinks regularly, or could get them themselves. People were offered a good choice of fresh food at each mealtime, and specialist diets were catered for.

Staff and people had built positive, caring relationships and staff communicated well with people. There was a warm and homely atmosphere, and people responded positively to staff, often smiling and laughing with them. People were asked for their views on their care, and staff encouraged them to maintain their independence where possible.

Staff respected people’s privacy and people could spend time in their rooms or communal areas. Staff had time to chat with people and supported people to take part in activities and hobbies of their choosing. Visitors were always welcomed into the home.

The registered manager had systems in place which helped to monitor the quality of the service delivered.