Darlison Court

Updated 13 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by an inspector and an assistant inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought or rented and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.

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

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be available to support the inspection. The inspection was completed in one day.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it registered. This included checking incidents the provider must notify us about, such as serious injuries and abuse. We sought feedback from the local authority, Healthwatch and professionals who work with the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

On this occasion, we had not asked the provider to send us a provider Information return (PIR). A PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service. This includes what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. However, we offered the provider the opportunity to share information they felt was relevant.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service and asked them about the quality of the care they received. We also spoke with two care staff and the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included all or parts of records relating to the care of four people as well a range of staff files. We also viewed training and supervision records and records relating to the safety and management of the service.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We asked the registered manager to provide us with a variety of policies and procedures and additional information. All information was sent within the required timeframe. We used all this information to help form our judgements detailed within this report.

Updated 13 November 2019

About the service

Darlison Court is an Extra Care Housing scheme that provides personal care for ten people living in their own flats on one purpose-built premise.

People’s experience of using this service

People received care that reduced the risk to their safety. Incidents that could affect people’s safety were reported to the relevant authorities. There were enough staff to care for people safely. People received their medicine safely, although we were concerned about the high stock levels of one medicine for one person. Action was being taken to address this. Staff understood how to reduce the risk of the spread of infection in people’s flats. Learning from mistakes took place to reduce the risk of recurrence.

People received care in line with their assessed needs. Staff training was up to date and staff received supervision of their practice. Where people received support with their meals, staff did so effectively and in line with dietary requirements. Guidance for staff to support a person with diabetes was not comprehensive enough should they have a seizure. Action was being taken to address this. People had access to other health and social care agencies if needed. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. We did note one person required a further mental capacity assessment to be completed for one element of care to ensure their rights were respected

People praised the approach of staff. They found them to be kind, caring and respectful. Personal care was provided in a dignified way, maintaining people’s privacy. People’s independence was always encouraged. People were supported to make decisions about their care. People’s records were stored securely and handled appropriately to protect their privacy.

People’s care records were person-centred and contained guidance for staff to support them in their preferred way. Efforts had been made to provide people with information in formats they could understand. Innovative plans were in place to further support people with a sensory impairment. People were supported to reduce the risk of them becoming socially isolated. A robust complaints process was in place. End of life care was not currently provided.

Quality assurance processes helped the provider and the registered manager to identify and act on areas which could pose a risk to people’s safety. The registered manager had a good knowledge of their regulatory requirement to report concerns to the CQC. People and staff praised the approach of the registered manager, they found him to be supportive and approachable. People’s views were requested and acted on.

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

Rating at last inspection and update This service was registered with us on 11 October 2018 and this is the first inspection.

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.