Darley Hall Care Home

Updated 5 February 2020

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 one Inspector.

Service and service type

Darley Hall Care Home 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 did not have a registered manager in post. The acting manager had been in post since June 2019 and had applied to become the registered manager, which we were reviewing. 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.

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 and professionals who work with the service. 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 all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the operations manager, manager, the chef, senior care workers and care workers. We spent time observing how people and staff interacted and the dining experience within the service. 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.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and risk assessments. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, accidents and incidents and complaints and compliments were reviewed.

Updated 5 February 2020

About the service

Darley Hall Care Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to 16 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 22 people. The home is in a rural area and bedrooms are spread over the two upper floors with communal facilities on the ground floor. Several lifts are available to access the upper floors of the home.

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

People were safe from avoidable harm and abuse. There were a suitable number of staff available to meet people’s needs who were suitably trained. Checks were completed to ensure staff were suitable for their roles prior to working at the service. People felt safe and secure within their environment and with the staff team supporting them. The service was clean and tidy.

People’s care was based on a holistic assessment of their needs and preferences. People were supported to access health care services to maintain their wellbeing. People’s dietary needs were met and people were given a wide variety of options at mealtimes. People enjoyed the food and drink and staff were available to support them with their meals. People were supported to make decisions and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.

People’s care plans were individual to them and contained detailed histories and information on how they wished to be supported. People’s privacy and dignity was respected at all times.

Staff knew people well and everyone felt like they were family. People were encouraged to maintain their own schedules and to pursue activities and interests individual to them. The staff supported people to remain as independent as possible.

Leadership within the service has stabilised following changes to the management team and the communication and operations had greatly improved. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of care delivered. There was a procedure in place to address complaints or concerns. A monthly newsletter was used to communicate information important to people and their relatives. Staff felt supported and could rely on managers to assist them where required.

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 Good (published 26 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.