Dalemead Care Home Limited

Updated 19 November 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

This inspection was conducted by one inspector and an Expert by Experience on the first day and one inspector on the second day. 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

Dalemead Care Home Limited 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

The inspection was unannounced on the first day. The provider knew we would be returning on the second day.

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 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.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service about their experience of the care provided and three relatives. We spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, the deputy manager, activities co-ordinator, the chef and four care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and medicines records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including complaints, incident forms, policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We requested additional evidence to be sent to us after our inspection. This was received, and the information was used as part of our inspection. We also contacted two health professionals for their feedback.

Updated 19 November 2019

About the service

Dalemead Care Home Limited is a care home providing residential care without nursing for up to 49 older people, including those who may have dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 43 people using the service.

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

There was a thriving activities programme at the home, both internally and from external organisations. The home actively promoted itself within the community and was very keen to explore new ways in which people could be supported to access activities to avoid social isolation. People and staff had been empowered to pursue and run activities with the full support of the registered manager and senior staff. Care plans were in place which met people’s individual needs. This included end of life care plans. People and their relatives told us they had no complaints with how the service was run.

People were kept safe through effective risk management controls which considered areas of risk to people and how they could be supported to lead independent lives. People were kept safe from potential harm as care workers knew what steps to take to keep people safe. People received their medicines as prescribed from trained staff. Good infection control practices were present which kept people safe from harm.

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 given the opportunity to visit the home before moving in and there was a settling in period where care plans were developed based on people’s needs. The provider had a good relationship with external agencies and healthcare professionals. Staff were competent and received training to carry out their duties. We have made a recommendation for the provider to implement a more robust system to monitor staff training, we will follow this up at the next planned inspection.

People and their relatives told us that staff were very caring. There was a nice, homely feel to the service. Many of the staff had worked there for a number of years which meant they were able to develop caring relationships with people and their families. Feedback received reflected this. People’s privacy and dignity was maintained and they were encouraged to remain as independent as possible.

The registered manager ran a service which had an open culture. This was reflected in our observations during the day, from speaking with people and staff and feedback received from professionals. There was a good working relationship with external professionals and systems were in place to monitor the quality of service. This included feedback from people, relatives and staff and internal audits.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 11 April 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.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk