Archived: Delaware House

Updated 3 October 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 checked 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 was a comprehensive inspection.

This inspection took place on the 29 August and 4 September 2018. It was unannounced and carried out by one inspector 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. This is the service’s first inspection under the new provider, who was registered in July 2017.

Before the inspection we reviewed any information that we hold about the service such as safeguarding information and notifications. Notifications are the events happening in the service that the provider is required to tell us about. We used this information to plan what areas we were going to focus on during our inspection.

During the inspection we observed people’s care to help us understand the experience of people who were not able to talk with us. We spoke with three people who use the service, three of their relatives, two health and social care professionals, the registered manager, the senior care facilitator and eight members of staff. We reviewed four people’s care and support files and five staff recruitment and support records. We also looked at a sample of the service’s quality assurance systems, training records, medication system, staff duty rotas and complaints records.

Updated 3 October 2018

This inspection took place on 29 August and 4 September 2018 and was unannounced.

Delaware House 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. Delaware House does not provide nursing care. It is registered for up to 24 people some of whom may be living with dementia, mental health conditions and/or a physical disability. At the time of our inspection there were 16 people living in the service.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

People were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. Staff had been trained and they demonstrated a good understanding of how to keep people safe. There were policies and procedures in place for staff to follow, and they knew how to apply them. The service managed risks well. Staffing levels were consistently good and people had access to the local community. There was a robust recruitment process in place that ensured staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people. The service managed medication well, and people received their medicines as prescribed. Staff had been trained, and demonstrated a good knowledge of peoples’ medicine needs. Staff demonstrated good infection control practice and there were policies and procedures in place for guidance. The registered manager shared information with staff to ensure that lessons were learnt when things went wrong.

People’s needs had been fully assessed before they moved into the service and their care plans had been devised from the assessment process. There was a good induction process and staff were supported and well trained. The registered manager worked well in partnership with other professionals to ensure people received appropriate care. People received enough good quality home cooked food and drink that met their needs and kept them healthy. People received the healthcare support they needed. The building was in good repair and suitable for people’s needs. Regular fire drills and tests had been carried out and there were safety certificates in place. The registered manager had identified any issues and had plans in place to make the necessary improvements. People had as much choice and control over their lives as possible. The service worked in line with other legislation such as the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and had completed mental capacity assessments and Deprivation of Liberties (DoLS) where required to ensure people’s rights and freedoms were respected and protected.

Staff knew the people they cared for well. Relatives told us that all staff were kind, caring, compassionate and understanding. People were treated with dignity and respect and their privacy was maintained. Staff supported people to maintain their independence, as much as possible. Where people were able to be, they and their families were actively involved in making decisions about their own care.

Staff provided people with person-centred care that was responsive to their changing needs. The care plans were well written and described how people were to be supported. People enjoyed a range of activities to suit their individual needs and preferences. There was a good, clear complaints system in place and people and their relatives said they were confident that concerns would be resolved quickly. The service had dealt with complaints appropriately.

People received a good quality service. The registered manager’s vision was to enhance people’s lives and compassionately care for those with more complex needs, engaging and respecting people, their families and staff. The registered manager told us they were a, “Mindful” employer, who valued staff and involved them in all aspects of the service. Staff felt well supported and shared the registered manager’s vision. There was an effective quality assurance system in place, and regular checks were carried out on the service’s systems, processes and practices. The registered manager had identified the need for improvements and had plans in place to make them. The service learnt from mistakes through discussions at team meetings, and made continual improvements to ensure people received a better service. The registered manager ensured that all interested parties were kept fully involved and worked well with other professionals to ensure that people received good quality person-centred care.

Further information is available in the detailed findings below.