The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: Dean House

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

34-38 Reddenhill Road, Babbacombe, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 3RQ (01803) 313117

Provided and run by:
Mrs Sally and Mr A Colombini

Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

16 January 2016

During a routine inspection

Dean House is a long established care home in Torquay that provides personal care for up to 13 people with learning disabilities. There were 13 people living there at the time of our inspection. Some people had lived at the home for over 15 years, and were now developing long term physical health conditions associated with ageing or their learning disability.

One of the registered providers held the position of the home’s registered manager. 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. The registered manager was in the process of retiring and an application was being made by another person to become the registered manager. They were already the person in day to day control of the home and are referred to in this report as the manager as that was the role they were fulfilling. The registered manager visited the home three days every week.

This inspection took place on 16 January 2016 and was unannounced. The previous inspection of the home had taken place on the 14 November 2013, when the home had been found to be meeting all the standards inspected.

Risks to people had not always been clearly assessed and actions to mitigate risks had not always been recorded in a clear action plan. We found that some hot surfaces had not been fully protected and the hot water regulator to a bath and hand wash basin had failed. This meant the temperature of the water being delivered to this area could present risks to people. However we did not identify any people had suffered poor care as a result.

People told us they felt safe at Dean House. They told us it was like living with a family, and we saw people were settled, relaxed and comfortable living there. Relatives told us they had confidence in the home’s management and that their relation was safe and happy at the home.

Staff understood their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding people, and people were supported by sufficient numbers of staff. The staff team had not changed for several years which helped ensure people received consistent care from people who knew them well. Some historic staff recruitment practices had not been thorough, but the manager was taking action to address this retrospectively.

People told us they liked the food and had a good choice available to them. People told us they had been involved in choosing the meals and several had chosen to lose weight. They were working with the staff to provide healthy versions of their favourite meals. We saw people being actively involved in making choices about foods they wanted to eat.

Medicines were stored and administered safely. Staff had received training in the medicines they were giving to people and the systems were regularly audited to make sure that safe practice was maintained.

Staff had received training in and understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People’s capacity to make decisions was kept under review. The manager was aware of actions that would need to be taken where people had reduced capacity. Staff understood people’s communication where this was not verbal. Advocacy services would be identified for people if they needed additional support in making decisions.

Each person had a care plan which detailed their choices and preferences in relation to their care. Plans were written with people or their relations and were available in formats people could understand. They reflected people’s wishes, skills and aspirations as well as areas in which they needed support. The manager was enthusiastic about helping people develop new skills and have new experiences. People followed an active programme of individual activities. One person told us they were “very busy all the time”.

Staff confirmed there were clear lines of authority within the management structure and they knew who they needed to go to, to get the help and support they required. Staff said they had a very good relationship with the manager who was always available if needed. They told us the manager was “really wonderful”.

Policies were in place for dealing with any concerns or complaints and this was made available to people and their families in appropriate formats. People said they would be happy to speak with the registered manager or staff if they had any concerns.

The manager undertook audits of practice at the home and there were other quality assurance systems in place such as residents meetings and questionnaires. The results of feedback were included on the home’s development plan and people received feedback on the actions taken. Records were well maintained.

The building was subject to an ongoing programme of refurbishment, but all areas seen were clean and comfortable. People told us they were involved in keeping their own rooms clean, and were proud of them.

14 November 2013

During a routine inspection

There were seven people at the service at the time of our visit. We observed care practices, met people, talked to staff and looked at care records to help us understand how people viewed the support they received at this service.

We saw that staff interactions were very respectful. Staff took time to listen carefully to people and did not hurry them. We saw that people appeared comfortable and relaxed with staff. One person told us 'they're a nice bunch'.

We saw that people had busy social lives. Preferred activities were recorded in each person's care records. Everyone went out on the day of our visit. People told us they were good friends with each other, liked living together and enjoyed each other's company.

The manager showed us person centred plans that staff had assisted people to write. These contained people's goals and aspirations. People were happy to talk about them with us when we asked.

The service had policies and procedures in place that kept people safe. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding. People told us they felt safe. One person told us they felt "happy here". They added that they would "talk to staff" if they were worried about anything.

There were processes in place to monitor the quality of service being provided. We saw that the opinions of people, their relatives and staff were obtained through questionnaires.

We saw that the manager collated audits and summarised the findings in order to continually improve the service.

5 February 2013

During a routine inspection

Dean House is a small, long established and family run home for up to thirteen people who have a learning disability. Most of the people who lived there were quite active, and some had lived together for many years as a group.

People living at the home told us they were happy and felt safe cliving there. We saw people got on well together and had opportunities to be active and involved with activities outside of the home. People told us they had good friends at the home. We saw a new minibus had been purchased to help people spend more time in the community.

We saw that people's medicines were being managed safely.

We saw that the home was an older building and needed a lot of work to ensure it stayed an attractive and safe place in which to live. Repairs were needed to the roof and replacement of the windows was still needed to ensure people lived in comfortable and attractive surroundings. These were on a planned programme of refurbishment.

The home had new care plans for people, which they had been involved in drawing up. These contained photographs and information about their wishes and aspirations, as well as the care and support they needed.

We saw that some of the staff had also worked at the home for many years. We found that staff appraisals had not been carried out, but the staff were receiving supervision and support with core training to enable them to do their job.

During a check to make sure that the improvements required had been made

This review was carried out to follow up on the inspection of Dean House carried out in May 2011. On that occasion the home was not compliant with all areas of the standards and legislation. An action plan was submitted to the Care Quality Commission telling us how the home intended to make changes to become compliant.

In November 2011 we wrote to the service asking them to tell us what they had done and supply us with evidence of the actions they had taken. The home sent us evidence including photographs of changes they had made. We also spoke to the manager in a telephone call to clarify a few issues. A Care Quality Commission inspector also visited the service as a part of a registration change undertaken and reviewed some of the changes made at that time.

We did not speak to people living at the home as a part of this review. But we spoke to the manager about the changes that have affected people and received some evidence about how the changes will make things better for people living at the home.

3 May 2011

During a routine inspection

People we spoke to at the home told us that they were happy there and did not have any concerns about the way they were treated and supported. They told us 'We are like a big family' and 'the staff are good. We get on well'.

We spoke to one person who had recently moved to the home who told us about how they made the decision to move in after visiting another service in the area. They felt their views had been listened to.

Another person told us about how they are now making journeys independently as a result of new skills they are developing with support from staff.

We spoke to several people living at the home about the food served to them and the choices they have. People told us that they could do some cookery if they wanted, but actually they preferred it if the staff prepared food for them. People are being encouraged to develop new skills with cookery and are to attend local courses in the hope of interesting them further in food choices and nutrition.

People told us they kept their rooms tidy, and were keen to tell us about how they had personalised their rooms with their own belongings and choice of decor.

They also told us that they did not know much about the records kept by the home and did not want to see them. People we spoke to told us they knew there were care plans but one told us 'that is what the staff do' and said they were not interested. Another person told us they had seen their plan, but did not have a copy. However we saw a copy of a life book that one person had completed with a family member and saw information being kept in other ways that supported people's understanding.

Few of the policies or procedures that we saw were accessible to people who needed supported communication and the manager confirmed that the home were looking into developing this for people who need extra assistance.