Archived: West Dean Care Home

West Dean Care Home is a residential care home that provides accommodation and personal care to 16 people who need support in order to maintain their mental health or who have a learning disability.

At the time of our inspection visit there were 15 people using the service all of whom had mental health support needs.

The service accommodates up to 16 people in one adapted building. There are 16 bedrooms arranged over three floors and a variety of communal areas. The service is a large home, bigger than most domestic style properties. The service was developed in line with the principles of Registering the Right Support. It is larger than current best practice guidance; however. the size of the service having a negative impact on people was mitigated by the building design fitting into the residential area and the other large domestic homes of a similar size.

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

People felt safe at the service and protected from the risk of abuse. Staff assessed risks to people’s health and safety and took action to keep them safe while maintaining their freedom. Sufficient staff were available to provide a timely response to people and provide safe care. People received their medicines as prescribed and medicines were managed safely.

Staff worked closely with other services to provide effective care and achieve good outcomes for people. A person said, “There’s a willingness to understand and to take up your problems and help you overcome them.”

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.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. The outcomes for people using the service reflected these principles by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

Staff were well trained and were given regular opportunities to review their work and identify their learning and development needs.

People were cared for by staff who were kind and showed empathy and understanding towards them. The atmosphere within the home was friendly and welcoming and staff were warm and considerate towards the people they cared for. People’s privacy was respected and their dignity maintained.

Staff were responsive to people’s individual needs and wishes and had an in-depth knowledge about each person. People were supported to access services outside the home and to pursue their own interests.

The service was well led by an experienced registered manager who was well regarded and respected by people using the service, staff and external professionals. Processes were in place to monitor and improve the quality of care. People were encouraged to be involved and given opportunities to provide feedback and put forward their ideas for the service.

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 9 April 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

West Dean Care Home is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for 16 people who need support in order to maintain their mental health or who have a learning disability. At the time of our inspection visit there were 12 people living in the service all of whom lived with problems with their mental health.

The service was run by a company that was the registered provider. 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. In this report when we speak about both the company and the registered manager we refer to them as being, ‘the registered persons’.

At the last inspection on 27 January 2015 the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

This inspection was announced and was carried out on 26 April 2017. We gave the registered persons a short period of notice. This was because the people who lived in the service had complex needs for care and benefited from knowing in advance that we would be calling.

Care staff knew how to keep people safe from the risk of abuse. Suitable steps had not always been taken to reduce the risk of avoidable accidents. However, in practice people had not experienced direct harm as a result of this oversight. Medicines were safely managed and there were enough staff on duty. Background checks had been completed before new care staff had been appointed.

Care staff knew how to support people in the right way. People enjoyed their meals and they had been helped to obtain all of the healthcare assistance they needed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and care staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were treated with compassion and respect. Care staff recognised people’s right to privacy and promoted their dignity. Confidential information was kept private.

People had been given all of the care they needed and they had been supported to pursue their hobbies and interests. There was a system for quickly and fairly resolving complaints.

People had been consulted about the development of their home. Quality checks had usually been effective in ensuring that people received safe care. Care staff were supported to speak out if they had any concerns and good team work was promoted. People had benefited from care staff acting upon good practice guidance.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We looked at records. These included care plans and information about how the service was managed.

We conducted a tour of the building and observed the interactions between the care staff and people who resided at the home.

People were supported to be as independent as possible and were fully involved in the planning and delivery of their care and support.

We found that people were provided with a choice of suitable and nutritious food and drinks in sufficient quantities to meet their individual needs and preferences. One person who lived at the home told us, "The food's brilliant. They ask what we want and we get it.'

We saw that the building was well furnished and in good decorative order. It was light, airy and spacious and was free of any unpleasant odours.

People's health and welfare needs were met by the provision of sufficient numbers of suitably experienced staff.

We found the service was well led and managed and responded to people's changing needs.

The relative of a person who uses the service described care planning work around personal safety as 'brilliant'. The people we talked to told us that they feel consulted and involved in the life of the home and in shaping services. One person who has recently been involved in the recruitment of staff told us that 'they try and get you involved with things.'