Archived: Dalecroft

Updated 9 June 2018

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 24 May 2018. We announced the inspection because we wanted to make sure people who lived at the service and staff would be available for us to speak with. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the home. This included looking at information we had received about the service and statutory notifications we had received from the home. We also contacted the local authority commissioning and safeguarding teams and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

We asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The provider returned the PIR and we took this into account when we made judgements in this report.

We observed how care and support was provided to people. We met and spoke with four people who were using the service, a senior support worker and four support workers.

We looked at two people’s care records, two staff files, medicine records and the training matrix as well as records relating to the management of the service. Three people showed us their rooms and communal areas of the home.

Updated 9 June 2018

This inspection took place on 24 May 2018. We announced the inspection to make sure people who used the service were available for us to speak with. There were six people living at the service at the time of our visit. This included one person living in a self contained annex to the main house.

At our last inspection in February 2016 we rated the service as ‘Good’.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Dalecroft provides care and support to people living in a 'supported living’ setting, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

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. The registered manager was on annual leave at the time of our inspection.

Some people we met had limited verbal communication. However, we observed them to be comfortable with staff who used methods of communication suitable to the person’s needs.

People were clearly very comfortable with staff. They told us staff made them feel safe and they liked spending time with them.

Policies and procedures were in place to safeguard people from harm and the staff we spoke with understood their responsibilities in keeping people safe. Accidents and incidents were reported appropriately and reviewed to look for any themes or trends which could be mitigated against.

Medicines were managed safely although temperatures of medicine storage needed to be taken daily rather than weekly and protocols for ‘as needed’ medicines needed to include detail about the effectiveness of the medicine.

Risk assessments were in place which helped to protect people from risks they may encounter in their daily lives.

Staff records showed the recruitment process was robust and staff were safely recruited. People who lived at the home were involved in staff recruitment.

Training was delivered to staff in order to help them support people's specific needs. An induction process was in place and staff training was up to date. Competency checks for administration of medicines needed to be updated.

Staff confirmed they received regular supervision and appraisal and team meetings were held.

Staffing was organised flexibly around the support needs of people using the service. There was a member of staff available in the home over the 24 hour period.

People were supported to plan menus and had choice of meals and snacks. Healthy eating was promoted.

Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

Our observations, together with our conversations with people, provided evidence that the service was caring. The staff had a clear understanding of the differing support needs of people and we saw they responded to people in a caring, sensitive, patient and understanding professional manner.