We carried out a review of the data available to us about Absolute Care Services (Dymond House) on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Absolute Care Services (Dymond House), you can give feedback on this service.
Absolute Care Services (Dymond House) provides personal care and support to people living in self-contained flats located in a single building. This is known as extra care housing and is operated by an independent housing provider. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of this inspection there were 30 people being provided with personal care and support by the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were safe at the service. Staff were caring and respectful and treated people well.
Staff had been trained to safeguard people from abuse. Staff understood identified risks to people’s safety and wellbeing and what action to take to support people to stay safe. There were enough staff to support people and meet their needs.
The provider carried out checks on staff to make sure they were suitable to support people. Staff received relevant training and supervision to help them meet people’s needs. Staff were well supported by managers and were encouraged to learn, develop and improve in their role.
Staff made sure people’s homes were clean and hygienic. They followed current practice to reduce infection and hygiene risks within people’s homes.
People were involved in planning their care and support and could state their preferences for how this was provided. People’s records reflected their needs and preferences. People were supported to be as independent as they could be with daily living tasks. People’s wishes for the support they wanted to receive at the end of their life had not been routinely recorded. The provider was taking action after the inspection to improve this.
Staff knew people well and understood how their identified needs should be met. People were supported to undertake activities and interests that were important to them. Relatives were free to visit their family members if they wished.
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 to take their prescribed medicines and staff made sure people could access support from healthcare professionals when needed. Staff encouraged people to eat and drink enough to meet their needs.
The provider had arrangements in place to make sure accidents, incidents and complaints were investigated and people kept involved and informed of the outcome.
People had positive experiences of using the service. The provider had systems in place to obtain their feedback about how the service could be improved. The provider undertook checks at regular intervals, to monitor, review and improve the quality and safety of the service and addressed any issues found through these checks. We identified there had been no recent audit of medicines. The provider was taking action after the inspection to improve this.
The provider worked proactively with other agencies and healthcare professionals and acted on their recommendations to deliver care and support that met people’s needs. They also worked closely with the housing provider of the extra care housing scheme and informed them promptly of any issues or concerns relating to the environment and premises.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 22/03/2019 and this was the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the length of time since the service registered with the CQC.
We also looked at infection prevention and control measures under the safe key question. We look at this in inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.
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.