Dover Cottage Rest Home

Updated 9 August 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Dover Cottage Rest Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

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 all of this information to plan our inspection. We had not asked the provider to send us a provider information return before the inspection. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We spoke with people who used the service and a relative about their experience of the care provided. We also read people’s and staff’s feedback about the service recent surveys. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager, the operations manager, senior care workers and the chef. 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 two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment, as well as information about staff training and supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including safety and quality checks, as well as procedures were reviewed.

Updated 9 August 2019

About the service

Dover Cottage Rest Home is a residential care home providing personal care to 11 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can accommodate up to 15 people in one adapted building and specialises in the care for those living with dementia.

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

People’s experience of using the service was overall good. This was usually a quiet rest home, where staff spent time engaging with people on an individual basis. Staff knew people well and were supportive of people’s unique needs, particularly at times of distress. Staff told us there were usually enough of them to do this. However, we found that at times staff planning and deployment needed to be reviewed, to ensure people’s care was consistently safe and responsive.

At the last inspection there had not been a registered manager in post and we found some issues with regards to quality checks of medication procedures. We found improvements had been made, although we highlighted a few areas to be addressed regarding people’s medicines and safety checks. People felt safe living at Dover Cottage, were involved in the service through surveys and felt listened to. Activities took place on a more individual basis, but people had also asked for the opportunity to go out more. The provider was investing into the redecoration of the service and making the garden more accessible, so it could be used safely by everyone.

There was a registered manager in post at this inspection and staff felt well supported. Staff were involved in the development of the service through regular meetings and questionnaires. We heard that the registered manager had successfully taken steps to improve the culture and atmosphere of the service.

The service worked effectively with different professionals to meet people’s needs and promote their health and wellbeing. There was plenty of food for people to choose from and staff encouraged people to eat well and drink enough. The registered manager listened to and acted on external feedback to make improvements. The progress made was evidenced in the monitoring undertaken by the local authority and commissioners had no concerns about the service. We heard positive comments from relatives and also saw many thank you cards praising staff for their kind, respectful care, particularly at the end of people’s lives.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 14 February 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.