Dorset House

Updated 1 September 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and a medicines inspector.

Service and service type

Dorset House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Dorset House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and safeguarding teams. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with, and received feedback from, 13 members of staff including the registered manager and the deputy manager. We made general observations of care and interactions between people and staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 10 people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, policies and procedures.

Updated 1 September 2022

About the service

Dorset House is a residential care home providing to provide personal care and support to up to 52 people. The service provides support to older people some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 36 people living at the home.

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

People, their relatives and staff told us Dorset House was a safe place to be. People were supported by staff who were caring and responsive to their needs. Risks to people had been assessed and staff worked in safe ways to ensure risks were reduced or eliminated. Equipment was well maintained and general risks within the home were assessed, this included robust fire safety procedures.

Staff had training and a good awareness of safeguarding people. They told us how they check people are safe, what to look out for and who to report to if they had concerns. Everyone told us they felt confident the management team within Dorset House would address any concerns promptly and through the correct channels.

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. Where appropriate, people had received assessment of their mental capacity and the correct procedures had been followed where restrictions for people were in place. This meant that staff acted in accordance with the law to ensure people’s rights were fully protected.

People received their medicines as prescribed and medicines were managed safely within the home. There were enough staff. Staffing numbers were closely monitored by the registered manager to ensure the needs of people could be met safely. Recruitment of staff was ongoing, the home was experiencing difficulties, as many other providers were, due to unplanned sickness and the national shortage of workers in the care sector.

Accidents and incidents were recorded and monitored. Monthly analysis meant the registered manager and the team were working to identify themes and trends to reduce accidents, such as falls within the home. Lessons learnt were shared with staff and across the provider’s other homes.

A range of audits were carried out which all fed into an overall service improvement plan. The home actively sought feedback from people and their relatives about the care provided and used this to make improvements.

The home worked well with external health and social care professionals. Dorset House was known in the local community and had made links to support activities for people and fundraising.

Staff felt proud to work at Dorset House and were complimentary about their colleagues, they felt appreciated. People, their relatives and staff were positive about the management of the home and believed it 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 14 February 2020).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding.

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.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.