We carried out a review of the data available to us about East Dene Court 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 East Dene Court, you can give feedback on this service.
East Dene Court is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 9 people. The service provides support to people with a learning disability and/or autism. At the time of our inspection there were 8 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
Right Support:
Some staff had supported people living at East Dene Court for a long time. They had built up positive relationships and knew people’s needs well. Staff supported people to engage in activities they chose and to access the community when they wanted. 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.
Right Care:
Staff understood people’s preferred communication methods and supported them to make daily living choices. Staff were kind towards people and treated them with dignity and respect. Relatives gave positive feedback about the care provided.
Right Culture:
The service had a positive and person-centred culture. The registered manager and staff were focused on supporting the needs of people using the service. The registered manager was committed to on-going improvement and looking at ways of improving people’s lives.
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 the service was good (published on 12 October 2017).
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for East Dene Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
East Dene Court provides accommodation with support for younger adults who may have a learning disability and who are on the autistic spectrum. Currently the service provides support to nine young people.
There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
All interactions between staff and people were caring and respectful, with staff being patient, kind and compassionate. Feedback from relatives was excellent with praise for the all the staff team and management.
There were safeguarding procedures in place. Staff were knowledgeable about what action they should take if abuse was suspected.
The premises were clean. Checks and tests had been carried out to ensure that the premises were safe.
There were safe systems in place to receive, administer and dispose of medicines.
We found that recruitment checks were carried out to ensure that staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people.
Staffing levels were provided to meet the needs of people using the service. Records confirmed that training was available to ensure staff were suitably skilled. Staff were supported through an appraisal and supervision system. Staff told us they felt supported by the management at the service.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People's nutritional needs were met and they were supported to access healthcare services when required.
There were systems in place to ensure people were involved in their care and support and treatment.
Support plans were in place which detailed the care and support to be provided for people. These were detailed and were in the process of being changed to include a visual map of people’s requirements to support their autism spectrum needs.
People were supported to access the local community and engaged in a wide variety of activities both in house and at the provider’s activity centre.
There was a complaints procedure in place. Feedback systems were in place to obtain people’s views and that of their relatives.
The provider was meeting the conditions of their registration. They were submitting notifications in line with legal requirements. They were displaying their previous CQC performance ratings at the service and on their website.
This inspection took place on 15 January 2015 and was unannounced. This meant the provider did not know we were carrying on the inspection on that day.
We carried out our last inspection in August 2013. The provider during that inspection met our regulatory requirements.
East Dene Court provides care for up to nine people with learning disabilities. Nursing care is not provided.
The home is a large detached house with ten bedrooms, three lounges, a kitchen and a dining room. It is set in its own gardens in a residential area, near to public transport routes and local shops.
The service had a registered manager in place. 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.
Our observations during the inspection showed us that people were supported by sufficient numbers of staff. We saw staff were responsive to people’s needs and wishes and we viewed records that showed us staff were enabled to maintain and develop their skills through training and development activities. The staff we spoke with confirmed they attended training and development activities to maintain their skills. We also viewed records that showed us there were safe and robust recruitment processes in place.
CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They aim to make sure that people in care homes, hospitals and supported living are looked after in a way that does not inappropriately restrict their freedom. We discussed DoLS with the registered manager and looked at records. We found the provider was following legal requirements in the DoLS.
We saw people’s care plans were very person centred and written in a way to describe their care, treatment and support needs. These were regularly evaluated, reviewed and updated. The care plan format was easy for service users to understand by using of lots of pictures and symbols. We saw lots of evidence to demonstrate that people were involved in all aspects of their care plans. People, who used the service, and family members, were extremely complimentary about the standard of care provided.
Throughout the day we saw staff interacting with people in a very caring and professional way. The registered manager and staff that we spoke with showed genuine concern for peoples’ wellbeing and it was evident that all staff knew people at the home very well. This included their personal preferences, likes and dislikes and had used this knowledge to form very strong therapeutic relationships. We saw all of these details were recorded in people’s care plans. We found that staff worked in a variety of ways to ensure people received care and support that suited their needs.
People were protected from the risk of abuse. The care staff we spoke with understood the procedures they needed to follow to ensure that people were safe. They had undertaken training and were able to describe the different ways that people might experience abuse. Staff were able to describe what actions they would take if they witnessed or suspected abuse was taking place.
We found that the building was very clean and well-maintained. Appropriate checks of the building and maintenance systems were undertaken to ensure health and safety. A designated infection control champion was in post and we found that all relevant infection control procedures were followed by the staff at the home. We saw that audits of infection control practices were completed.
People received a balanced diet. We saw people could choose what they wanted to eat each day and this was supported by the staff. The cook was very knowledgeable about peoples’ diets and their preferences were always available. There was fresh fruit and snacks available so people could help themselves throughout the day.
We saw the provider had policies and procedures for dealing with medicines and these were followed by staff. Medicines were securely stored and there were checks and safeguards in place to make sure people received the correct treatment.
There was a complaints policy at the home which provided people who used the service and their representatives with clear information about how to raise any concerns and how they would be managed. We saw pictures had been used to help people understand the information. The staff we spoke with told us they knew how important it was to act upon people’s concerns and complaints and would report any issues raised to the registered manager or provider.
We found that the provider had very comprehensive systems in place for monitoring the quality of the service. This included monthly audits of all aspects of the service, such as infection control, medication, learning and development for staff which were used to critically review the home. We also saw the views of the people using the service, their advocates and relatives were regularly sought and used to make changes. We found that the manager produced action plans, which clearly showed when developments were planned or had taken place.
During our visit we found people were asked for their consent before they received any care or treatment and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes. One person told us, 'They (staff) ask my permission.'
We found care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way which ensured peoples' safety and welfare. One person told us, 'Staff are nice to people, you know where you stand.'
The provider had made suitable arrangements to protect vulnerable people and respond appropriately to any allegation of abuse. One person told us, '(Go to) staff straight away if there's something wrong. You tell them, they're good listeners.'
The provider had taken steps to make sure people at the home were protected from staff who were unsuitable to work with vulnerable people by carrying out thorough background checks.
We found people who used the service, their representatives and staff were asked for their views about their care and treatment and they were acted on.
Relatives said people received 'exceptional care' and 'what a fantastic place' East Dene Court was. People who used the service had made comments such as, 'I have enjoyed living at East Dene Court ' great pleasure' and 'They encourage me to do things on my own.'
'I'm happy with the way they treat me.'
'People take notice of what I say.'
'I like the home because I'm able to do lots of things.'
'The staff are happy and good fun.'
The manager told us some people who lived at this home found it difficult to express their overall views about the service directly. To overcome this they had used their knowledge of peoples' preferences, behaviour and responses to organise the support people needed in a way that was acceptable to them. They had also carried out a survey with people to see what they thought about life at the home. In the survey everyone said they liked living at East Dene Court and they felt safe in their home. They said staff listened to them, were helpful and understood what was important to them and staff helped them to make choices about their lives.
The manager had also carried out surveys with peoples' relatives and / or advocates. The most recent survey found that everyone was happy with the service their relative received at East Dene Court. Relatives said that the homes strengths were, good activities and holidays, dedicated staff and management, being kept informed, staff team work, training, and good staff ratio. One relative said, 'ESPA continues to understand and meet the complex needs of our (relative).' Another said, 'Their support is consistent.'
They also said the staff and the manager had an excellent understanding of their relative's likes and dislikes and the home supported people to have good healthcare.
Relatives made positive comments about the staff and the quality of the service. Comments included:
'Staff are always available to discuss any issues or just to have a chat about my (relative's) wellbeing.'
'(Residents name) receives excellent care, he loves his life, his self confidence has increased dramatically.'
' The standards of care are high and a compliment to staff.'
'My (relative) is treated as an individual and his care and provision of care reflect this.'