Kingsbury Court

This report summarises an inspection of Kingsbury Court, a care home providing nursing and residential care. The inspection focused on safety and leadership following concerns raised. While residents generally feel safe and staff are kind, the report highlights significant challenges, particularly with staffing levels and their impact on the consistency and quality of care. The home has a new manager who is actively working on improvements, but some issues stemming from previous periods of instability and insufficient oversight still require attention.

On safety, the home experienced staffing shortfalls that meant residents' needs were not always met promptly. This led to some individuals being unable to mobilise freely, experiencing delays in personal care, and feeling socially isolated, which posed risks to their wellbeing. Despite these concerns, new staff are recruited safely, and infection control practices are generally robust, with specific improvements made to individual risk assessments during the inspection. Medicines are administered safely, and safeguarding concerns are handled appropriately.

In terms of how effective the care is, residents' experiences were not consistently positive due to the staffing challenges. While care plans addressed individual risks, the day-to-day implementation of care was affected by staff being stretched. For example, residents sometimes missed out on opportunities for meaningful engagement or assistance with mobility due to time constraints. The home is working to ensure residents have maximum choice and control, supporting them in the least restrictive way possible.

Regarding caring practices, residents and their relatives reported feeling safe and described staff as kind. Support with medicines was provided safely, and individual risks were noted in care plans. However, the impact of insufficient staffing meant that some residents had limited interaction beyond basic care, leading to boredom and potential social isolation.

Concerning responsiveness, the home recognised when people needed support and took action, particularly around medication and identified risks like falls. However, the inconsistent staffing levels meant that requests for support, such as assistance with hoists to get into wheelchairs, were sometimes not met promptly due to staff being unavailable. The new manager has focused on improving oversight and building relationships with external healthcare professionals.

In terms of leadership, the service experienced a period of inconsistent governance before the new manager took post. While the current manager is making positive changes to quality monitoring and staff support, some improvements are still outstanding. This means that the systems in place were not always fully embedded to effectively identify and address all areas needing improvement, putting residents at risk of not receiving consistently good care. The new manager is working openly and transparently, and significant efforts are being made to build a more stable and supportive environment.