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CQC report explained · a nursing home

What the CQC found at Kendal Care Home

Goodpublished 5 August 2021, 5 years ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
Inspectors were assured about infection prevention, outbreak management, testing, PPE, visiting arrangements and staffing measures.
Effective?
Good
This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
Caring?
Good
This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
Responsive?
Good
This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
Well-led?
Good
This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, January 2022

Targeted inspection during a COVID-19 outbreak; infection-control measures were found reassuring, but the service was not rated.

Inspectors visited the home on 18 January 2022. It was a targeted inspection during a COVID-19 outbreak. They looked at infection prevention and control and asked about staffing pressures.

Inspectors were assured that the home was managing the outbreak, including isolation, testing, personal protective equipment, visiting and cleaning arrangements. They also found that vaccination checks were being carried out for staff and visiting professionals.

The home had enough staff at the time, including agency staff to support the permanent team. This was not a full inspection of the quality of care. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give an overall quality rating.

What inspectors praised
  • Outbreak management

    The home followed guidance for people who had tested positive for COVID-19 and supported them to isolate in their rooms.

    “The registered manager had followed government guidance around supporting people who had tested positive for COVID-19 to isolate in their rooms.” from the report
  • Visitor safety

    Visitors had to take a negative lateral flow test and were supported to use suitable protective equipment.

    “The provider had very robust systems to prevent visitors from catching or spreading infection.” from the report
  • Personal protective equipment

    The home had suitable PPE and had followed infection-control advice about using face visors.

    “The provider had ensured appropriate PPE was available.” from the report
  • Staffing cover

    Inspectors were told there were enough staff, with agency workers used to supplement the permanent team.

    “The provider had ensured there were enough staff to care for people.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.

Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01What is the current staffing level, and how often are agency staff being used?
  2. 02How are visitors currently tested and supported to use PPE?
  3. 03How would you manage a new COVID-19 outbreak, including isolation and visiting?
  4. 04How do you check that staff and visiting professionals meet the current vaccination or exemption requirements?
  5. 05Can we see the home's fuller inspection history and ratings for caring, effective, responsive and well-led care?

This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control and staffing pressures during a COVID-19 outbreak; it did not rate the other key questions or the service overall. This explanation was written from the published report of 29 January 2022 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.

An earlier report, explained

What inspectors found, August 2021

Kendal Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, caring care, but identified shortfalls in PPE use and the management of some medicines.

This was a focused inspection on 26 May and 24 June 2021. It was prompted partly by concerns about medicines and a specific incident, but the circumstances of that incident were not examined. Inspectors looked only at Safe and Well-led. The other ratings came from the previous comprehensive inspection.

The home was rated Good for Safe and Good for Well-led. Inspectors found that people were protected from abuse, risks were assessed, medicines were generally managed safely and there were systems to learn from incidents. Staff recruitment checks were thorough and inspectors saw people receiving the care they needed.

There were some issues to address. Inspectors saw two occasions when PPE was not used properly, and one emergency medicine was not easily accessible or understood by all staff. Some care records were not accurate on the first visit, but these were corrected by the second visit. The overall rating remained Good.

What inspectors praised
  • Protection from abuse

    The home had systems to identify and report abuse. Staff had been trained and people and relatives said they felt safe.

    “People were safe and protected from the risk of abuse. The provider had robust systems to protect people from abuse.” from the report
  • Staff checks

    The home carried out thorough checks before employing new staff, including references and checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service.

    “The provider carried out robust checks on all new staff before they were employed in the home.” from the report
  • Person-centred care

    Inspectors found that staff knew people well and involved people and families in decisions about their care.

    “The provider, registered manager and staff were committed to providing people with person-centred care which promoted a good quality of life.” from the report
  • Open management

    Managers monitored safety and quality, acted on problems and met their responsibilities to be open about significant incidents.

    “Where they found areas which required further improvement they took prompt action.” from the report
  • Listening to feedback

    The home gathered views from people and relatives and made changes in response, including changes to visiting arrangements and people's rooms.

    “People and their relatives told us if they made suggestions about how the service could be improved the provider took action where possible.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • PPE was not always used correctly

    needs fixing

    Inspectors saw two occasions when staff did not follow good practice with PPE. The provider arranged reminders and asked staff to challenge poor practice.

    “We were not fully assured staff were consistently using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
  • Emergency medicine access

    needs fixing

    One infrequently used emergency medicine was not easy to access, and not all staff were confident about giving it. Training and clearer storage information were arranged during the inspection.

    “One infrequently used emergency rescue medicine was not easily accessible and not all staff were confident to administer the medicine.” from the report
  • Care records needed updating

    needs fixing

    Some records were inaccurate or not up to date on the first inspection day. The home reviewed them and corrected the information before the second visit.

    “On the first day of our inspection we found some records were not accurate and up to date.” from the report
  • Staffing concerns reported

    needs fixing

    Although inspectors saw call bells answered promptly and care provided as needed, some people said there were times when more staff were needed.

    “Some people told us there were enough staff to provide people's support, but other people said there were times more staff were needed.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How do you now check that all staff use PPE correctly and safely?
  2. 02Where is the emergency rescue medicine kept, and how do you make sure every relevant staff member knows how to give it?
  3. 03How do you monitor staffing levels at busy times and respond when more staff are needed?
  4. 04How do you check that care records stay accurate and up to date?
  5. 05What medicines management improvements have been completed since this inspection?

This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings came from the previous comprehensive inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 August 2021 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Kendal Care Home

9 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.

  1. January 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent rating
    Safe: Inspected but not rated

    Read what inspectors found at Kendal Care Home →

  2. August 2021Goodstayed Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Kendal Care Home →

  3. February 2019Goodup from Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. November 2017Requires improvementup from Inadequate
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. August 2017Inadequatedown from Requires improvement
    Safe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. June 2016Requires improvementup from Inadequate
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  7. May 2016Inadequatestayed Inadequate
    Safe: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  8. December 2015Inadequatedown from Requires improvement
    Safe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  9. July 2015Requires improvementstayed Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  10. May 2015Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  11. February 2015

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  12. January 2015

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  13. September 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  14. August 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  15. May 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  16. January 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  17. January 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  18. June 2013

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 24 June 2013.

Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.

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