The Dale Residential Home

The Dale is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 14 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The Dale accommodates people in one adapted building.

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

Care plans and risk assessments did not always detail what care and support people needed to reduce risk to them. Medicines were managed safely, however, there was no evidence staff had their competencies checked. People told us they felt safe. Staff were recruited safely, and there were enough staff to take care of people.

Staff received appropriate training, a plan was in place to ensure training was kept up to date. Staff were supported and felt supported by the management team. Staff received supervision. People’s needs were assessed, and outcomes recorded. People were offered a choice of food and drink. The service worked with other health care professionals.

People were cared for by staff who knew them well. People and their relatives told us staff were kind and caring. People had enough to do, to keep them meaningfully occupied. People provided positive feedback about the activities and entertainment on offer. People had opportunities to provide feedback about the care they received and to raise any concerns.

People told us staff were kind and caring. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems at the service supported this practice. People told us staff treated them with dignity and respect, they were involved with the planning of their care and their views were listened to.

There were a complaints procedure and people knew how to complain. Peoples likes, and dislikes were recorded in people’s support plan and staff knew people and their preferences well. People’s communication needs were in their plans.

People spoke highly of the management team who they said was approachable and supportive. The registered manager understood the regulatory requirements. People told us they thought the service was well led.

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 30 August 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.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 service was safe. Staff were knowledgeable about identifying abuse and how to report it to safeguard people. Recruitment procedures were satisfactory. Detailed risk assessments were in place for people using the service to support their safety. There were also processes in place to manage any risks in relation to the running of the service. Staff deployment was suitable for people's needs and people's medicines were safely managed.

The service was effective. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Records showed staff respected people's choices on decisions about their care and supported them to be as independent as possible. People enjoyed the food provided at the service and their dietary needs were met. Menu plans showed healthy options and included people's preferences and choices. Staff continued to support people to access healthcare professionals when needed. Feedback for health care professionals was very positive and confirmed the service remained proactive and worked with them to better people's lives.

The service was caring. We saw friendly, caring and supportive interactions between staff and people and staff knew the needs and preferences of the people using the service. Staff were caring, treated people with dignity and respect and ensured people's privacy was maintained particularly when being supported with their personal care needs. People were supported to retain as much independence and control as possible with daily living tasks.

The service was responsive. People's care needs had been assessed with them and they received the flexible support they needed from the service. Care plans were well organised and contained information covering all aspects of people's health and social care needs. Care planning was reviewed regularly and people's changing needs recorded. People knew how to complain and had easy access to the provider's complaints procedure.

The service was well-led and had a positive open culture. Quality assurances systems remained in place and were consistently used to ensure the safety of the premises and equipment and to improve people's care and support, although the registered manager was in the process of updating these checks.

The last inspection of the service was carried out on 10 December 2013. No concerns were identified with the care being provided to people living at the home at that inspection.

The Dale Residential Home is registered as a care home without nursing. It provides accommodation and personal care for up to 14 older people some of whom are living with dementia. Accommodation is arranged over two floors and all bedrooms are for single occupancy. On the day of our inspection there were 13 people living at The Dale.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

People had positive views about the staff and the support they were given for their particular care needs. Staff were kind and caring in their approach and people and staff interacted in a positive way. People told us they found the staff to be approachable and relaxed in manner and they could speak to them at any time.

Care and support was planned with people, and their care and support needs were clearly identified in their care records. Staff knew how to support people in the ways that were explained in care records.

People were given their medicines when they needed them. There was a system in place to manage medicines in the home. However, we found that there were some omissions in the recording of some administered medication resulting in medication which did not tally with administrative records.

Staff were properly supervised and supported in their work by the registered manager. The staff also took part in a variety of regular training in matters that were relevant to the needs of people at the home.

There was a system in place to ensure complaints were investigated and responded to properly. People knew how to make their views known and they had access to

up to date information to help them to make a complaint.

People told us the registered manager was approachable and was always available if they needed to see them. The provider had ensured that checks on the quality of care and service where undertaken. The registered manager is committed to overhauling this aspect of the service.

Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. One person who used the service told us: "I wouldn't change a thing, it's smashing." Another person said: "I can't fault it, the staff are wonderful.'

People were cared for in a clean, hygienic environment. The people we spoke with raised no concerns about the standard of cleanliness. They told us they thought the home was always clean and tidy.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard. One staff member told us: "We have a wonderful staff team and very supportive management."

There was an effective complaints system available. Comments and complaints people made were responded to appropriately.

People experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. One person told us, "If you can't be happy here then you can't be happy anywhere".

A visiting relative told us 'Staff are efficient and caring' and 'Communication is good, there is lots of involvement around care and support for mum.'

People who used the service, staff and visitors were protected against the risks of unsafe or unsuitable premises. The provider carried out regular audits of the premises to ensure that they remained in good condition and fit for purpose.

There were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs. One visiting relative told us 'There is always staff available.'

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people receive. We saw various schedules for inspection to check cleanliness, safety, equipment and utilities.