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Archived: Dorset Blue Care Limited

Suite 3, Compasspoint Business Centre, Southwell Park, Portland, Dorset, DT5 2NA (01305) 824776

Provided and run by:
Dorset Blue Care Limited

All Inspections

17, 18, 19, 22 September 2014

During a routine inspection

A single inspector carried out this inspection. We considered our inspection findings to answer five questions we always ask; Is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service caring? Is the service responsive? Is the service well-led? Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at. If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

Care plans contained risk assessments, specific to each individual and updated as and when required. This helped to ensure people received care which was safe, delivered according to specific risks identified for each person, such as risks of falling or risks when moving and handling.

The provider made appropriate checks during recruitment to ensure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable adults.

We found there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs at the time of inspection.

Is the service effective?

People's health and care needs were assessed with them, and they were involved in planning their own care. Effective planning of care helped ensure that the service met people's care and support needs.

Care was planned and delivered to ensure the safety of welfare of people using the service.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people's needs and were able to

explain the plan of care for people they cared for.

Is the service caring?

People were supported by kind and committed staff. People told us staff were respectful and responsive to their individual needs. They told us care workers were patient and caring when supporting them. One person told us what they really valued about the care provided was their relative 'being treated as a human being, their warmth.'

Staff were knowledgeable about the people in their care and spoke warmly about them as people, with different needs and individual life stories. They spoke about how much they enjoyed getting to know people properly when working with them over a longer period of time. People who used the service also told us how much they valued the social contact with staff.

Is the service responsive?

Care plans were reviewed regularly and updated as and when required. The service responded to people's changing needs.

During the inspection we saw staff responded swiftly and effectively to support the health needs of a person who was unwell while visiting the day centre.

Is the service well-led?

Systems were in place to make sure that managers and staff learned from events such as accidents and incidents, complaints, concerns and investigations. This reduced the risks to people and helped the service to continually improve.

When we raised a number of issues with the registered manager and provider during the inspection, their response was swift and positive; they took immediate action to address concerns raised.

People who used the service and their representatives were asked for their views about their care and treatment and they were acted on. People benefited because their views were sought and the provider took steps to act on feedback to improve the service. This helped ensure that the care and support provided was also in line with people's wishes.

The registered manager and senior staff had appropriate experience of care provision and were knowledgeable about the systems and processes required for the service's effective operation. Effective leadership meant staff followed those systems and processes, which helped to ensure people's care and support needs were met.

We saw how the manager's commitment to delivering effective and responsive care helped shape the service's overall ethos. Staff spoken with shared the same beliefs and were committed to delivering quality care and support, individualised to each person's needs.