Damascus House

Updated 24 November 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an Expert by Experience.

An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Damascus House is a ‘care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Damascus House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We also sought feedback from the local authority. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 8 people who lived at the service about their experience of the care provided and 5 relatives. We spoke with 7 members of staff and the registered manager. We also spoke with the nominated individual who is the provider.

The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of documents and records. These included 2 people's care records, multiple medicines records, records relating to recruitment, training, and supervision, and records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 24 November 2023

People’s experience of the service and what we found

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessment and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Damascus House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 12 people. The service provides support to people with a learning disability, autistic people and people with physical health needs. At the time of our inspection there were 12 people using the service.

People’s experience of the service and what we found

Right Support:

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Knowledgeable staff who were committed to improving the lives of people with a learning disability and/or autism were recruited safely. There were enough staff to ensure people living at the service had their support needs continually met. Staff had received training to ensure they were skilled to effectively meet people's needs. People were supported to maintain their independence. People were supported to personalise their rooms and there were communal areas people could use when they chose. People, relatives, and staff told us the management and staff were approachable and listened when they had concerns.

Right Care:

There was a relaxed, warm and jovial atmosphere in the home. Where people required support with personal care this was provided with dignity and privacy. People were given choices about the way in which they were cared for. Staff listened to them and knew their needs well. People received their medicines safely. The service worked in partnership with other healthcare professionals to maintain positive outcomes.

Right Culture:

People were promoted to be as independent as possible and choose how they lived their lives. People’s privacy and dignity was respected. Staff had formed positive relationships with people they supported. People were provided with opportunity to make suggestions and feedback on their experience, which was considered to improve the service. People were protected from the risk of abuse. Risks were assessed and managed effectively. The service was managed effectively. Audits and reviews of care were undertaken to ensure the care and support people were provided with was current.

Overall the service is meeting 'right support, right care, right culture'. We are aware this is a large service supporting up to 12 people and therefore is larger than good practice guidance suggests.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 10 August 2018)

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for ‘Damascus House’ on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow Up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.