The inspection of Kirkgate House – Care Home took place on 5 April 2017 and was unannounced. At the last inspection on 2 July 2015 the service met all of the regulations we assessed under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. At that inspection the service was rated ‘Good’. However, the registered provider was recommended to ensure that further repairs to the premises were made, after meeting the requirements of a breach of regulation 15 identified at an earlier inspection on 14 November 2014.

Kirkgate House – Care Home is situated on the edge of the town of Bridlington in East Yorkshire with easy access to the town centre and transport links to other towns and cities in the county. It is a purpose built premises, which can accommodate up to 28 people all in single bedrooms. The premises have been modelled to house people in units and each unit has its own kitchen, lounge, activity area and bathroom. There are also two self-contained flats. The service specialises in care for people with a learning disability. At the time of the inspection there were 28 people using the service, most of whom had lived at Kirkgate House – Care Home for many years.

The registered provider is required to have a registered manager in post. On the day of the inspection there was a registered manager that had been in post for the last six years. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 had excellent opportunities to engage in occupation, pastimes and activities if they wished to in order to lead fulfilling lifestyles and to develop their potential. They were empowered to engage in the local community as citizens and to take part in innovative ways of having their needs met.

People’s relationships were extremely well supported and encouraged so that people had very good family connections and support networks. All of this meant that people had an enhanced sense of wellbeing and an exceptional quality of life.

We saw that people were supported according to their detailed and person-centred support plans, which reflected their needs well and were regularly reviewed.

There was an effective complaint procedure in place and people had their complaints investigated quickly and without bias.

We saw that the service was well-led and both the culture and the management style of the service were positive, progressive, approachable, inclusive, open and honest. The management team and staff were powerful role models for people with regard to learning and developing life skills and engaging and being active in the community. This had been the case for many years.

There was a 'bespoke' and effective system in place for checking the quality of the service provided using audits, satisfaction surveys, meetings and a pledge to provide a high-quality service via the organisation's SHINE initiative, which underpinned the visions and values and put people at the heart of the service.

Recording systems used in the service and practices in handling information protected people's privacy and confidentiality. Records were well maintained and held securely on the premises.

People were protected from the risk of harm because the registered provider had systems in place to detect, monitor and report potential or actual safeguarding concerns. Staff were appropriately trained in safeguarding adults from abuse and understood their responsibilities in respect of managing potential and actual safeguarding concerns.

Risks were managed and reduced on an individual and group basis so that people avoided injury or harm wherever possible.

The premises were safely maintained and there was evidence in the form of

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 14 November 2014. At which a breach of legal requirements was found. After the comprehensive inspection, the provider wrote to us to say what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to the breach in respect of cleanliness and hygiene standards in some areas of the service.

We undertook a focused inspection on the 2 July 2015 to check that they had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Kirkgate House care home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Kirkgate House is a care home located in the seaside town of Bridlington in East Yorkshire. The service supports people with a learning disability and provides accommodation and support for up to 28 people. The service has been designed to accommodate people in small units within the service and each unit has its own kitchen, lounge, activities area and bathroom facilities. There are also two self-contained flats. The service is close to local amenities and transport routes.

The service had a registered manager who had been registered in this role since October 2003. 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.

At our focused inspection on the 2 July 2015, we found that the provider had made some improvements that were recorded in their action plan and legal requirements had been met. However further improvement were still required to some of the fixtures and fittings within the service to ensure the environment remain safe for the people who live there.

Kirkgate House provides accommodation for up to 28 people who need support with their personal care. The service provides support for people with a learning disability. The service has been designed to house people in units and each unit has its own kitchen, lounge, activities area and bathroom facilities. There are also two self-contained flats.

This inspection was unannounced and took place on 14 November 2014. During the inspection we spoke with the four people who used the service, two visitors to the service, three staff and the 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The last inspection took place on 18 September 2013. At that inspection we found the provider was meeting all the essential standards that we assessed.

Although people told us they felt safe in the service, we found they were not fully protected from the risks of infection. We found problems with the cleanliness and hygiene of some parts of the service. There were no unpleasant odours in the service, but some aspects of the environment required cleaning and the lounge / dining room carpets on two of the four units were stained and unsightly. This meant people were not provided with a clean environment in which to live.

People told us that they felt safe living in the service. We found that staff had a good knowledge of how to keep people safe from harm and that there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Staff had been employed following robust recruitment and selection processes.

People had their health and social care needs assessed and plans of care were developed to guide staff in how to support people. The plans of care were individualised to include preferences, likes and dislikes. People who used the service received additional care and treatment from health professionals based in the community. People had risk assessments in their care files to help minimise risks whilst still supporting people to make choices and decisions.

Staff told us that they were happy with the training provided for them and the training records evidenced that staff took part in a variety of training that would equip them to carry out their roles effectively. People who used the service, relatives and health care professionals told us that staff were effective and skilled.

People’s nutritional needs had been assessed and they told us they were satisfied with the meals provided by the service. People had been included in planning menus and their feedback about the meals in the service had been listened to and acted on.

People were able to see their friends and families as they wanted. There were no restrictions on when people could visit the service. People spoken with said staff were caring and they were happy with the care they received. They had access to community facilities and most participated in the activities provided in the service.

We observed good interactions between people who lived in the service and staff on the day of the inspection. People told us that staff were caring and this was supported by the relatives we spoke with. People’s comments and complaints were responded to appropriately and there were systems in place to seek feedback from people and their relatives about the service provided.

People who lived in the service, relatives and staff told us that the service was well managed. The registered manager monitored the quality of the service, supported the staff team and ensured that people who used the service were able to make suggestions and raise concerns.

We found a breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 in relation to protecting people by maintaining the service to a clean and hygienic standard. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.

People were involved in planning their care. One person told us “They are nice to the residents here”; another person said “I like my key worker”

People were supported and encouraged to maintain a healthy diet. People we spoke with were complimentary about the food provided at the service. One person told us “The food is good.”

Each person’s medicines were stored in a locked, wall mounted cabinet in their own rooms. This helped to promote a person centred approach to supporting people with their medication. We checked the arrangements for the ordering, storage, handling, administration, recording and disposal of medicines and found appropriate arrangements were in place.

Appropriate recruitment policies were in place to check that people working at the service did not present a risk to people who lived at the service.

The provider had effective systems in place to check on the quality and safety of the service people received at Kirkgate House.

Records were accurate, fit for purpose and were stored securely.

We visited Kirkgate House and spoke with five people who lived there. People indicated that they were happy with the way staff cared for them and that they were supported to live well in the community. One person told us “I go out to Gateway. I like it.” Another person told us “I like doing baking and doing things with the staff.”

People’s consent to care was gained and we saw evidence that people received the care they needed. Staff had training in the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and Deprivation of Liberty safeguards (DoLS) to ensure people's rights were protected.

We saw up to date plans of care which considered individual physical, emotional and mental health care needs. We saw risk assessments and that all documentation was kept up to date to ensure people had their changing needs met. We saw that the home consulted with specialists to make sure people had the benefit of expert advice.

People were protected from harm and the risk of harm through staff training and risk assessments. The service also referred safeguarding incidents to the local authority and to the Care Quality Commission as required.

We saw that the home had an effective system to assess and monitor the quality of service.

We spoke with several people in the home and they told us they made their own decisions about most things. They told us they enjoyed living at Kirkgate House and that they were involved in various groups in the community for social and leisure interests or for representing themselves and other people with learning disabilities.

People said they were aware of their 'care and support plans' and that they were asked about their needs and what they wanted from life. They felt they had been included in the planning of their everyday activities of living.

The people we spoke with told us they had good opportunities to undertake activities, make decisions about their lives and to be involved in the community.

They told us they liked living at Kirkgate House and that the staff were very supportive and friendly.

Two of them showed us their 'care and support plans' and explained what activities they liked to do best.