Background to this inspection
Updated
14 September 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 two inspectors, a specialist nurse advisor and an 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
Darwin Court Care Centre is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as 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, clinical commissioning group and professionals who work with the service. We also used feedback provided by 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 used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. 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. This information helps support our inspections. We used this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with five people who used the service, five relatives, 13 care staff, six nurses, two members of the housekeeping team, a hostess, a customer support manager, the deputy manager, the registered manager and the regional manager. We also spoke by telephone to the provider’s head of dementia care. We looked at 22 people’s care records, medicines records, complaints, health and safety and quality assurance records. We also looked at four staff recruitment records.
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.
After the inspection
At the end of the inspection we requested some additional information about quality audits from the registered manager. This was received without delay.
Updated
14 September 2019
About the service
Darwin Court Care Centre is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 99 people at the time of the inspection. Darwin Court accommodates up to 112 people across six separate suites, each of which has separate facilities. Each of the six suites has a different specialism including residential care, nursing care, dementia and complex dementia care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found.
Some people and relatives expressed concerns about staffing. We found some people experienced delays in their care due to staffing levels.
People told us they felt safe and staff knew how to identify and report concerns relating to people’s safety. Staff were aware of people’s risks, and these were assessed and managed to reduce the risk of avoidable harm. People received support to take their medicines safely and systems used for the management of medicines were safe. Staff were aware of their duty to report incidents and accidents and these were reviewed by the registered manager and actions taken to reduce the risk of future harm.
People’s needs were assessed and care plans documented people’s individual needs and preferences. Staff received training relevant to their role and were supported with their personal development. People received enough to eat and drink to maintain their health. There were plans to improve areas of the home to ensure the environment better met the needs of people living with dementia.
Decisions about people’s care and treatment were made in line with law and guidance. 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.
People were supported by a caring staff team who respected people’s diverse needs. Staff supported people to maintain their independence where possible. People’s dignity was valued and staff treated people and their family members with respect.
People were supported by a staff team who knew them well and understood their needs and preferences. People and their family members were involved in the assessment and planning of their care. People were supported to take part in pastimes and personal hobbies and interests. People and their relatives knew how to raise a concern if they were unhappy about the care they received. Where people received support at the end of their lives the staff acted with sensitivity giving consideration to people’s wishes and feelings.
People, relatives and staff felt the service was well managed. The registered manager had made improvements since the last inspection and these were known and understood by people, relatives and staff. Feedback provided by people and relatives was used to drive improvements. The registered and deputy manager and provider undertook regular auditing to ensure the quality of care provided.
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 requires improvement (published 29 September 2018).
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.