We made an unannounced inspection of the service on 22 May 2017.

Kingly House provides accommodation and personal care for up to 17 people who require support because they have suffered brain injuries or have neurological disabilities. It, and three other services run by Kingly Partnership, are a centre of excellence for organisations that support people with similar needs. Kingly House is a 1920s detached property that has been extensively modernised and adapted for people who use wheelchairs and other specialist equipment. Accommodation is on two floors connected by a stairway with a stair lift. People have access to an enclosed landscaped garden.

The service has a registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People consistently experienced care that met their unique needs. People’s lives had been enhanced as a result, often with outstanding outcomes which changed their lives. The service supported people with their rehabilitation in a meaningful way and helped them to achieve their aims no matter how challenging those aims were. People achieved increasing levels of independence because of the care and support they received.

The registered manager, the senior managers and the staff had a strong and visible person centred culture that was at the core of the service. People using the service felt the benefit of this through their experience of consistently outstanding care. Staff were motivated because they felt supported by a management team they felt inspired them.

People using the service knew what the aims of the service were and they were involved in developing the service. The service was exceptionally well led by the registered manager and senior team of qualified professionals. There were effective procedures for monitoring and assessing the quality of service and there was a commitment to continually improving the service. Feedback we received from a local authority that was that Kingly House was a ‘high performing and well led service.’ People’s and relative’s feedback from a recent satisfaction survey rated the service as outstanding.

The provider was an active participant of three regional and national forums, all specialising in raising awareness of brain injury and neurological disabilities. This helped the provider to ensure that care practice was in keeping with the latest research and a ‘flagship’ provider. They had been shortlisted for awards for best service in three different categories in three consecutive years, 2014, 2015 and 2016. The service provided preceptorships for newly qualified NHS occupational therapists. The service was a centre of excellence for this type of service.

People using the service felt safe and were protected by effective safeguarding procedures that staff were fully conversant with. Staff also helped people to make choices about how they wanted to be supported and how they spent their time. People were supported to participate in activities that developed and increased their independence. Where those activities included risks these were managed to protect people from injury.

People were supported by sufficient numbers of experienced and professionally qualified staff who understood their needs. The provider had effective procedures for the safe management of medicines.

Staff were well trained and supported by the management team and the directors of Kingly Partnership, all of whom were professionally qualified and specialists in neurological disability who participated in research in that area. People were supported by rehabilitation support workers (RSW) and professional occupational therapists that had extensive professional training about neurological disabil

We inspected the service on 1 July 2015. The inspection was unannounced.

Kingly House provides specialist care and support for up to 17 people who live with a brain injury or neurological disability. The accommodation includes a large communal dining area, two sitting rooms and a secure landscaped garden. All bedrooms are single occupancy with en-suite facilities. The interior of the home has been modernised and all necessary adjustments have been made to support the needs for wheelchair users. At the time of our inspection 17 people were using the service. Some of the people using the service were referred to the service by NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

Staff were very well trained and extremely knowledgeable about people’s individual needs and the specialist care they were delivering. Staff were well supported by qualified managers who had detailed insights and understanding of people using the service.

People were protected from harm by staff who understood and practiced the provider’s safeguarding policies. People were supported to exercise choices which involved degrees of carefully assessed risks aimed at supporting people to increase their independence.

People were supported by enough skilled and experienced staff to meet their specialist needs and keep them safe. The provider also ensured that there were sufficient skilled and experienced staff to support people with their chosen activities, develop their independence and enhance the quality of their lives proactively. The provider’s recruitment procedures ensured as far as possible that only staff suited to work in a specialist care environment were recruited.

People received their medicines on time. The provider had procedures for the safe management of medicines.

The service was shortlisted as being in the top three specialist care providers in a national specialist annual independent care award in 2014 and 2015.

Staff were supported through effective training and supervision. The effectiveness of training was monitored by a training manager. Staff had opportunities to progress their careers because of a bespoke staff development programme operated by the provider. All staff involved in supporting people understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

People were supported with their nutritional and heath needs. They were supported to access to specialist health services.

People were supported with kindness, compassion and optimism. Staff were very knowledgeable about people’s needs and this helped them to develop caring professional relationships with people they supported. People were actively involved in decisions about their care and support. Staff treated people with dignity and respect.

People’s care was responsive to their needs. Each person had an individually tailored care plan that addressed their unique and specific needs. They were supported to follow their interests and hobbies not only to enjoy them but also to increase their independence and everyday living skills. Staff went `the extra mile’ to support people.

The provider encouraged people to provide feedback and acted upon what people said.

People using the service, their relatives and staff were involved in developing the service through meetings and reviews or care plans. People’s suggestions and ideas were acted upon.

The service was well led by qualified staff. The service was committed to continual improvement and had robust procedures for assessing and monitoring the quality of care and support provided.

During our inspection we met many of the people using the service at Kingly House and spoke in detail with four of them. We also spoke with the manager of the service and three other staff, including the assistant cook.

People using the service were satisfied with the meal arrangements and felt the food provided was of a good standard. One told us, “I think it is good here. The food is good, you get a choice.”

The provider cooperated with other services to help ensure the health and wellbeing of people using the service.

The building was adequately maintained and secure. People were happy with the way the building was decorated and furnished. One person commented to us that the lounge and dining area had recently been redecorated, “This has all been done out. I think they have made a nice job, it is lovely.”

Effective recruitment processes were followed when new staff were appointed and appropriate checks were taken up before they started work.

People using the service told us that felt able to raise any complaints or concerns with staff, should they have the need to. One said, “If I wasn’t happy I would talk to a team leader, but there is nothing to worry about here. It is very good, I really like it here.”

People using the service had the opportunity to make choices and give consent, because the provider had given careful consideration to assessing people’s capacity to make decisions.

Detailed assessments were completed to identify people’s specific needs and to explain how their support was to be provided. There were mechanisms in place to help ensure that support was delivered reliably and in line with people’s preferences.

The people using the service were satisfied with the care and support they received at Kingly House. They felt that staff were capable and genuinely caring in their approach towards them.

The people we met during our inspection were satisfied with the care and support they received at Kingly House and they felt their views were taken into account. One person told us; “I can tell them what I am interested in and I get to do the things I like to do.” Another person told us that they had been to other homes but preferred Kingly House; “I have been in three different care homes and this is the best one by far.”