Dairy Lane Care Centre

Updated 12 October 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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector and 1 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

Dairy Lane Care Centre 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. Dairy Lane Care Centre 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

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During the inspection we spoke with 13 people who used the service and 2 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 6 members of staff including the Nominated Individual, who is also the registered manager, deputy manager, two support workers, 1 cook and 1 activities coordinator. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care records and multiple medicine records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff training. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including training information, policies and procedures and quality assurance documents were reviewed.

Updated 12 October 2023

About the service

Dairy Lane Care Centre is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 22 older people, including people who may live with dementia, or a dementia related condition. At the time of our inspection there were 21 people using the service accommodated in one adapted building.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

A quality assurance system was in place, but it needed to become more robust to assess the standards of care in the service. Improvements were needed to the running of the service to ensure all people received person-centred care.

There were sufficient staff who were appropriately deployed to support people safely, but people did not all receive person-centred care. Some systems needed to be improved to promote people’s privacy and dignity. Improvements were needed to people’s dining experience, including the provision of accessible information to promote people’s involvement and support with daily decision making.

An infection control system was in place. However, not all areas of the home were well-maintained and there were signs of wear and tear. The provider was monitoring the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for effectiveness and people’s safely.

Records provided guidance to ensure people received safe care and support from all staff members. Staff spoke very positively about working at the home and the people they cared for. They said communication was effective to ensure they were kept up-to-date about any changes in people’s care and support needs.

Staff had received safeguarding training and were clear on how and when to raise their concerns. Where appropriate, actions were taken to keep people safe. Staff contacted health professionals when people’s health needs changed.

Staff followed effective processes to assess and provide the support people needed to take their medicines safely.

There was evidence of collaborative working and communication with other professionals to help meet people's needs. People and relatives had some opportunities to give feedback about the service.

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.

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

Recommendations

We have made recommendations about staff deployment and person-centred care, refurbishment of the environment, accessible information and people’s dining experience.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 27 July 2018).

Why we inspected

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

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Dairy Lane Care Centre 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.