Kingscourt is registered to provide accommodation for up to six people with a learning disability who require personal care. At the time of our inspection the service was providing support to six people.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated good:

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Risks to people were assessed and where required a risk management plan was in place to support people manage an identified risk and keep the person safe.

Staffing numbers were sufficient to meet people’s needs and this ensured people were supported safely. People told us they felt safe living at the service.

The provider ensured that new staff completed an induction training programme which prepared them for their role. Training was completed in essential matters to ensure staff and people at the service were safe. Staff were supported through a supervision programme.

People were supported to maintain good health and had access to external health care professionals when required.

Staff were caring towards people and there was a good relationship between people and staff. Staff demonstrated an understanding of the needs and preferences of the people they cared for.

Support provided to people met their needs. Supporting records highlighted personalised information about what was important to people and how to support them. People were involved in activities of their choice.

There were systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service. Staff described the registered and assistant manager as supportive and approachable. Comments from people confirmed they were happy with the service and the support received.

We re-inspected the standard where we previously identified non-compliance. We found that appropriate action had been taken to address the identified shortfalls.

We spoke with two people who lived in the home and three members of staff. We examined records, minutes of meetings and survey results. We saw that staff were familiar with people's needs and gave them opportunities to make choices. People told us "I dont ever want to move from here" and "the staff are helping me to become independent".

We found that people living at Kingscourt and their representatives had been involved in planning their care and staff were familiar with people's needs.

The support plans we saw provided details of people's individual needs, wishes and preferences. The home sought advice from external healthcare professionals where necessary and this was recorded in people's care files. A range of activities were provided and people could choose whether they wished to take part.

The provider had not ensured that service users were protected against the risk of infections because they did not effectively operate systems which were designed to assess the risk of and prevent, detect and control the spread of a health care associated infection. We also saw that the provider did not maintain appropriate standards of cleanliness and hygiene in the home.

We found that pre-employment checks were undertaken before staff began work and there were effective recruitment and selection processes in place. Staff had also received appropriate induction training.

The provider had effective quality assurance systems in place to monitor the performance of the home. The views of people living there and their representatives were taken into consideration.

During our visit we spoke with three of the six people who lived at the home. We also spoke with the registered manager and three support staff who worked at the home.

People told us that they met with their key worker every week to discuss their care needs. One person told us that they talked to their key worker about how their college courses were going, and if they were happy living at the home.

We were told by staff that people were supported to be as independent as possible. During the day we observed staff encouraging people to do tasks for themselves. We saw from people’s timetables that they took part in many of activities in the community. This was confirmed by people living in the home.

We saw that people had agreed short and long term goals set within their care plans. Progress people had made towards meeting these goals was recorded in monthly reviews by their key worker. Daily records that we looked at showed that people were receiving support in line with their care plans.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe living at the home. All staff had received safeguarding adults training and were aware of how to raise concerns.

People told us that there were enough staff working at the home. They told us that they were able to go on activities when they wanted to and staff were available to support them. The home adapted the staffing levels provided according to the needs of the people living at the home.

The philosophy of care for Supported Independence is that a continuum of care

is available to provide people with an opportunity to progress towards greater

levels of independence from within a consistent and planned environment.

Kingscourt is part of a three step approach that helps to support people to be

independent. The two other areas that offer opportunities for people to further

develop an independent lifestyle are through a supported living and outreach

service.

We spoke to four people who live at the service. They were complimentary about the care and support they received. Comments included "I have no complaints. I can come and go as I please. I get a choice of what I want to do. Staff are nice. The key worker helps sort things out. We go out to nice places like the cinema and Blaise castle."

People we spoke with told us they had access to range of health professionals including GP, dentist and opticians.

People told us they were supported in their chosen lifestyle and were offered meaningful activities and helped to live more independently. They are encouraged and

supported to live as a part of the local community.

People living at the home told us they were enabled to access college courses and do other interesting things (see above quote). We saw some people undertaking activities in the home. Various provisions were available for activities in the out building; for example a pool table. The outbuilding was being refurbished and had some impact on the activities available.

We saw staff have good working relationships with both families and healthcare

professionals. This helps ensure that people are working in the same way to

meet the needs of people living at Kingscourt. We saw three people undertaking some activities and staff supporting people to access community activities; for example college to attend an educational course.

Information we saw in the care plans was person centred and included the individual’s comments about their progress and the support they received. We saw good comments about the way in which staff support people who use the service. Information was current and seen to have been reviewed and updated regularly with the individual person using the service, for their health and well being.

We viewed the training that staff had undertaken. This showed us that there was a range of training available to staff including modules that are appropriate to the care and support being delivered.

There is a robust system in place to monitor the services provided for the health, well being and protection of people who use the service.

The inspection took place on 15 December 2014 and was unannounced which meant that the staff and provider did not know we were coming.

We last inspected the home on 01 July 2013 and no concerns were found.

Kingscourt Care Home provides accommodation for up to six people with a learning disability who require personal care.

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.

People received safe care and support to meet their needs. There were systems in place to support staff in providing safe care. For example there were detailed risk assessments in place for each person who lived at the home. These identified possible risks people may experience, such as being in the community on their own. They also set out clear actions to take to minimise risks in the least restrictive way for the person concerned.

There were enough staff to provide people with safe care, for example when planned activities took place in the community, staffing numbers were increased.

People received care and assistance with their needs from staff who were attentive in their approach. Staff demonstrated they were caring and supportive. For example, when one person was upset a member of staff spent time with them offering support in a gentle and caring way.

Staff engaged people in household tasks and there were friendly conversations and animated communication between people and the staff.

People were consulted about what mattered to them in their daily life and were encouraged to maintain important relationships. For example, some people had friends outside of the home and staff supported people to maintain contact with them.

Peoples’ needs were effectively met and they were supported by staff who were suitably trained and understood how to provide them with the care they required.

People were protected by recruitment and staff selection procedures which helped minimise the risk of unsuitable staff being employed to work with them.

People were able to enjoy a choice of healthy food and drink which ensured their nutritional needs were met. Menus were planned with the involvement of people at the home to ensure they liked the choices.

People’s physical health needs were monitored at the home and they were well supported to be able to stay healthy and well. When necessary, referrals to other health professionals were made for people.

Staff were provided with proper training and support and they understood how to provide people with care that met their needs.

Staff felt supported by the registered manager and deputy. There was an open and accessible management culture for people who lived at the home and the staff who worked there