We carried out a review of the data available to us about Dovecote Manor Care Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Dovecote Manor Care Home, you can give feedback on this service.
Dovecote Manor Care Home is a residential care home providing personal, without nursing care for up to 41 older people in a purpose-built building. At the time of the inspection 33 people were using the service.
We found the following examples of good practice
¿ Safe arrangements were in place for all visitors to the service. This included taking temperature checks and carrying out a specific COVID-19 questionnaire.
¿ Posters were on display reminding people on the importance of regular hand washing / hand sanitisation, social distancing and the wearing facemasks. These measures helped keep people using the service, staff and visitors stay safe.
¿ The environment was clean and well maintained. Cleaning records showed the cleaning schedules were followed by staff. Enhanced cleaning and disinfection took place throughout the home to reduce the risk of the spread of infection. This included regular cleaning of 'high touch' areas such as, light switches, call bells, keyboards, door handles and handrails.
¿ Cleaning checklists were used to record and monitor when the cleaning tasks had taken place.
¿ Staff had access to enough supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) including disposable facemasks, face visors, gloves, aprons and disinfectant wipes.
¿ Hand sanitiser stations were available throughout the service in communal and private areas and used PPE was disposed of safely to reduce the risk of cross contamination.
¿ In addition to routine infection control training all staff received specific training on reducing the risks of the transmission of the Coronavirus. Training included the importance of following good handwashing practices and the procedure for putting on and taking off (donning and doffing) personal protective equipment (PPE).
¿ A regular programme of testing for COVID-19 was in place for all staff and people using the service. This meant swift action could be taken should anyone receive a positive test result.
¿ Isolation, cohorting and zoning was used to manage the spread of infection. People were supported to self-isolate in their rooms when necessary.
¿ Staff had a separate changing area where they were able to change their clothes before the start and the end of their shift.
¿ The laundry area was well organised. Clean and soiled linen was kept separate and cleaning schedules were closely followed. Systems were in place to ensure laundry from different areas of the service were laundered separately.
¿ The kitchen area was well organised, heated food trolleys were thoroughly sanitised before leaving and on returning to the kitchen area. Only authorised staff were able to access the kitchen area.
¿ Infection prevention and control (IPC) audits took place. The registered manager had oversight of all aspects of infection control systems within the service.
¿ Policies, procedures, risk assessments and guidance related to COVID-19 were up to date, which supported staff to keep them and others safe.
¿ Regular meetings took place with healthcare professionals to reflect and learn from COVID-19 outbreaks and heightened infection control measures were implemented to contain and manage outbreaks.
Dovecote Manor Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 41 people in a purpose-built building. At the time of inspection 39 people were using the service, some of whom were living with dementia.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People continued to be cared for safely. Risk assessments were in place and reviewed regularly and as people’s needs changed. Staff understood safeguarding procedures. Safe recruitment practices were followed to ensure staff were suitable for their roles.
There were consistently enough staff to meet people’s care needs. People were supported with their medicines and good infection control practices were in place.
People’s care records contained clear and comprehensive information covering all aspects of their care and support needs. Staff knew people well and had a good understanding of people’s wishes and individual preferences. People’s personal histories, preferences and dislikes, diversity needs such as cultural or religious needs and links with family were all considered within the care plans. Staff received training to meet people’s needs.
Where required, people were supported with their eating and drinking to ensure their dietary requirements were met. People were supported to promptly access health care services when needed.
People received support from reliable, compassionate staff. Staff enjoyed working at the service and there was good communication and team work. Staff were caring in their approach and had positive relationships with people and their relatives. People were treated with respect. Staff maintained people’s dignity and promoted their independence. Consent was sought before care was delivered.
The registered manager was proactive in his approach to ensuring people received high quality care. Robust quality assurance and monitoring of the service was ongoing and the management team sought to drive continuous improvements to the service for the benefit of people living there. The management team were aware of their legal responsibilities and worked in an open and transparent way. People and their relatives knew how to make a complaint.
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.
The last rating for this service was good (published June 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 4 May 2017. At the last inspection on 12 May 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found that the service remained Good.
The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons.’ Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People using the service continued to receive safe care. Staff were knowledgeable of the safeguarding procedures. Robust staff recruitment procedures were followed. The staffing levels met people’s needs. People received their prescribed medicines safely.
People using the service continued to receive effective care and have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. Staff had the appropriate knowledge and skills to meet their needs, and they were supported to maintain good health and nutrition. Staff were provided with comprehensive induction training and on-going refresher training. They had attended a variety of training to ensure they were able to provide care that was based on current practice. Staff received regular supervision and appraisal from their allocated supervisors.
Staff took an interest in people and delivered care that respected their individuality and diversity. People were treated with kindness, dignity and compassion and people were encouraged to be involved in planning their care and support. The care plans were personalised giving details on people’s needs and preferences. People knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint and effective systems were in place to respond to complaints.
People benefitted from using a service that had a positive, person centred ethos and an open culture. People, their relatives and staff had confidence in the registered manager’s ability to provide high quality managerial oversight and leadership. Established quality monitoring systems were used to drive continuous improvement.
This inspection took place on 12 May 2015 and was unannounced.
Dovecote Manor provides care and support for up to 41 older people with a wide range of needs. This includes people who are living with dementia.
There were 41 people using the service when we visited.
The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People were protected from abuse and felt safe. Staff were knowledgeable about the risks of abuse and reporting procedures.
Action was taken to keep people safe, minimising any risks to health and safety. Staff knew how to manage risks to promote people’s safety.
There were appropriate numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs and safe and effective recruitment practices were followed.
There were suitable arrangements in place for the safe management of medicines.
Staff received appropriate support and training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They were provided with on-going training to update their skills and knowledge to support people with their care and support needs.
People’s consent to care and treatment was sought in line with current legislation. Where people’s liberty was deprived, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards [DoLS] applications had been approved by the statutory body.
People were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts to ensure their dietary needs were met.
Staff supported people to attend healthcare appointments and liaised with their GP and other healthcare professionals as required.
People were looked after by staff that were caring, compassionate and promoted their privacy and dignity.
People’s needs were assessed and regularly reviewed.
People were supported to take part in meaningful activities and pursue hobbies and interests.
The home had an effective complaints procedure in place. Staff were responsive to concerns and when issues were raised these were acted upon promptly.
The service was well-led and staff were well supported and motivated to do a good job.
We saw that people were encouraged to have their say about how the quality of services could be improved and were positive about the leadership provided by the registered manager.
Effective quality assurance systems were in place to obtain feedback, monitor performance and manage risks.
We found that Dovecote Manor was well led and that staff were well supported as training, supervision and appraisals were in place for all staff.
We saw that staff were caring and responsive to people's needs and treated them with dignity and kindness.
We saw that there were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and that feedback from relatives and people had been acted upon.
We spoke with two staff members. They both told us that they felt well supported in their roles. One of the staff members told us "I'd be happy to live here".
We saw that people's preferences and likes and dislikes were recorded and that they were taken into consideration in the delivery of their care. We saw that people's needs were assessed and that there was a care and support plan in place to ensure that their needs were met.
We found that people's medication was kept securely. We saw that appropriate checks were carried out staff before they started work. We saw that information relating to complaints was on display. People that used the service told us that they would be able to tell a member of staff if they were not happy about something and feel confident that it would be addressed.
People said care provided at the home was good. They had been involved and given choices when planning and making changes to the care and support they had received. People said they had been given enough information about the home and their care. Other people said that their ongoing healthcare needs had continued to be met. When necessary care staff would accompany them on visits to healthcare professionals such as the dentist or optician.
People said they had been encouraged to give their views at monthly residents' committee meetings.
People said the activities coordinator at the home was very good and that they had been able to access a variety of activities. People spoke about having gone out on day trips, going on family holidays and of outside entertainers coming into the home.