Kirkside House, in Kirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire, is registered to provide accommodation and care for up to seven people with a learning disability and/or autistic spectrum disorder. Following an inspection, the CQC maintained the care home’s overall rating of Good, including for being safe and well-led.
Peter North, Home Manager at Kirkside House, said: “We are thrilled to have received such positive feedback from the CQC. It’s a great morale boost for the team, especially during this difficult period.”
“I’m particularly proud that the CQC inspection recognised our service as person-centred and that we placed people at the centre of everything we did because it’s really important to all of us that our service users feel safe and enjoy living here. Hearing one resident tell the inspectors that he wants to live here when he’s an old man meant a lot to us.”
Kirkside House runs a bakery and horticultural projects to help people in their care learn valuable skills and develop confidence. Peter said: “Although the bakery has been suspended because of the current restrictions around Covid, it is a much-loved project where people from different services across West Yorkshire can come and make bread and cakes for each other, I think most of the residents across the service have had birthday cakes made in the bakery.
“Residents involved in the gardening project grow vegetables, make hanging baskets and do woodwork. Some have their own allotments as we’re lucky to have land, and they paint and decorate their own lots. We even have one painted in the Leeds United FC colours.”
Peter added; “These projects are really important because while we encourage all residents to integrate in the community, for some of those with profound learning disabilities and challenging behaviour, having a job is inconceivable. The bakery and the gardens allow them to have something to call a job, and you can see it really empowers them and increases their self-esteem.”
The latest CQC report on Kirkside House, published on 23 January, said: “The home worked in partnership with other health professionals. Health professionals said they were regularly involved in people’s care planning and support for people living at Kirkside House. One health professional told us, “I think they are amazing, they think outside the box. I wish there were more places like this and have so much confidence in them.
“They (staff and management) are all open and transparent. They had a hard-working team and they work so well to help people.”
The CQC also said that the care home always had enough staff to meet the needs of residents and had adapted well to changes during the Covid-19 pandemic. As well as being assured staff were using personal protective equipment effectively and safely, the inspector said “Relatives and health professionals told us they were always involved and kept informed throughout the covid-19 pandemic. One relative said they had been contacted daily by the service with updates.”
The report added: “The provider had embedded quality assurance systems to monitor the quality and safety of the care provided. People knew how to complain and felt listened to. Regular meetings were held with people living in the home, staff and health professionals to ensure any changes were effectively communicated. Surveys were used to gather feedback from people to improve care.”
The full report can be found on the CQC website.