The Dower House Nursing Home

Updated 9 October 2020

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider had in place. As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a thematic review of infection control and prevention (IPC) measures in care homes.

This inspection took place on 21 August 2020 and was announced. The service was selected to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

Updated 9 October 2020

About the service

The Dower House Nursing Home is a nursing care home providing personal and nursing care to 39 people at the time of the inspection.

The Dower House Nursing Home accommodates up to 43 people, some of whom may have a physical disability or be receiving end of life care. There is access to landscaped gardens and grounds.

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

People were safe and supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. We saw evidence of people’s and their relative’s involvement in care assessments.

Risks to people were recorded in their care plans and staff demonstrated they had a good knowledge of people. People received their medicines safely. The Dower House Nursing Home offered bespoke care and support for people at end stage of life (EOL) and to their families.

People and their relatives were very positive about the food. People were encouraged to maintain a healthy, balanced diet, based on their individual needs and had access to food and drink whenever they wanted.

The home had a consistent staff team who understood the needs of people well. We saw staff upheld and promoted people’s rights relating to equality and diversity. People and their relatives were positive about the quality of care and support people received.

People and their relatives told us that they thought the home was well led and spoke positively about the registered manager and nominated individual. The registered manager and nominated individual carried out numerous audits to ensure the service was effective.

The registered manager was proactive in ensuring they had a visible presence within the home and operated an open-door policy ensuring that any low-level concerns were dealt with promptly preventing escalation. The service was well-led by a management team whose passion and drive to deliver a good service, leading by example, was evident.

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 22 October 2016).

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.