Carlisle care home requires improvement

Kingston Court, Newtown Road, Carlisle — Kingston Court. Picture: Mary and Angus Hogg

A Carlisle care home has been told that it requires improvement after an inspection by the care regulator.

Kingston Court Care Home on Newtown Road in Carlisle was inspected by the Care Quality Commission in December, with the report published last week.

The residential care home provides personal and nursing care for up to 76 residents with dementia-related conditions.

Inspectors found that the provider, Mariposa Care Group Limited – which also runs Blackwell Vale Care Home in Carlisle – did not always have effective systems for monitoring the service.

It was found that audits had not always identified shortfalls, or actions had not been taken to make improvements.

Other findings

Medicines were managed safely but medicines records were not always accurately maintained.
There were gaps in the records about staff testing for COVID-19, so it was unclear if government guidance had been followed.
People’s nutritional health was monitored but it was not always clear what actions were taken to support improvements. Inspectors made a recommendation about this.
People and their relatives said the home was a safe place to live.
Staff followed good infection control practices and the home was clean and well maintained.
People and relatives were positive about the kind and caring nature of staff and had good relationships with them. They described staff as helpful and friendly. People said staff were always busy but came when they requested support.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff assisted them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service upheld this practice.
People, relatives and care professionals said the management team were open and approachable. They had information about how to raise issues and were confident about discussing anything with the management team.
There was a positive, friendly culture in the home and there was a range of activities for people to join in.
Staff said they were happy in roles and described the provider and management team as supportive.
The provider was committed to the continuous improvement of the service and welcomed people’s views.

This was a planned inspection.

Regulation breaches

Inspectors found no evidence people had been harmed, however the provider’s failure to ensure medicines records were well-maintained contributed to a breach of Regulation 17 (Good governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
While the CQC found no evidence people had been harmed, the provider’s failure to ensure systems were in place to effectively monitor COVID-19 testing contributed towards a breach of Regulation 17 (Good Governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
The provider’s failure to ensure effective quality monitoring systems were in place was a breach of Regulation 17 (Good Governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
A breach in relation to good governance of the service was also found.

A spokesman for Mariposa Care Group Limited said: “We are very proud of the care we offer at Kingston Court. While the report was overwhelmingly positive there were some areas that required improvement – which the team have since addressed. We look forward to continuing to deliver high levels of care for our residents in and around the Carlisle area.”