The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: Doddlespool Hall Care Home

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

Main Road, Betley, Crewe, Cheshire, CW3 9AE (01270) 820700

Provided and run by:
Doddlespool Care Home Ltd

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

All Inspections

16 December 2014

During a routine inspection

We inspected this service on 16 December 2014. The inspection was unannounced and in response to information of concern we had received regarding the safety and maintenance of the home. At our inspection in April 2014 the provider was meeting all the legal requirements.

The service provides personal care for up to 27 people. There were 20 people living at the home on the day of our inspection.

There was a registered manager in post but they were on long term leave. 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 had arranged for their deputy to take responsibility whilst they were off however the deputy left the service a few months before our inspection. A senior carer, with previous registered manager experience, was working as the ‘acting’ manager.

We found the home was not being well maintained and we identified areas which required repair and maintenance.

There was a suitable recruitment process in place to ensure staff were safe to work with people who lived in the home.

Medicines were stored, administered and recorded correctly so that people received their medicines safely.

Staff understood that some people needed support to make important decisions about their health and well-being. Staff recognised the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People were referred to other healthcare professionals when they needed specialist support.

Staff were kind and compassionate to people. Staff supported people to maintain their dignity and ensured personal care was provided in privacy.

The acting manager was in the process of improving the information recorded in the care plans. The care people received reflected their choices.

People were able to take part in hobbies or interests in a group or individually, dependent on their preferences.

There were some quality assurance processes in place. The acting manager was increasing the audit programme to monitor the service.

We found breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010. You can see what actions we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.

22 April 2014

During a routine inspection

This was an unannounced scheduled inspection. As part of the inspection we also looked at the progress the home had made in meeting the concerns we had raised at our previous inspection. During the inspection we spoke with people who used the service, relatives, members of staff and the registered manager.

We considered our inspection findings to answer the questions we always ask;

Is the service safe?

People who used the service had their needs assessed and risk assessments had been completed to reduce any risks to their health and well-being.

We saw people were referred for specialist treatment and advice whenever necessary and staff implemented the changes in treatment which were recommended.

We found people received food which had been stored and cooked correctly to ensure people were protected from harm.

The provider had robust recruitment processes in place to ensure people were not treated by unsuitable people.

A person who used the service told us, 'I feel safe here. The staff always make sure I'm alright'.

Is the service effective?

People's care needs were assessed and plans were in place to support people.

People were given a choice of food at each meal that reflected their specific needs. People were asked for their opinion on the food provided and we saw staff responded to the requests they received.

A person who used the service told us, 'I've put on weight since I came to live here. The food is great. I really enjoy it'.

Is the service caring?

The staff knew people well. We observed positive interactions between the people who used the service and staff. Staff provided care in a kind and discreet manner. A person told us, 'I am looked after very well'. A relative told us, 'The care here is absolutely fine'.

There were dedicated activity staff who provided a variety of activities for people to be involved in. This meant people had stimulating and interesting things to do.

Is the service responsive?

We saw the environment did not provide information in a suitable format for people with a diagnosis of dementia.

The home had a complaints procedure and people we spoke with told us they knew what to do if they were unhappy about anything. One relative told us, 'I have never made a complaint but I feel the staff would sort concerns out'.

People living in the home had the opportunity to share their opinions with staff at residents meetings. People who did not want to be part of a large meeting were offered the same opportunity on a one to one basis.

Is the service well led?

Systems were in place to monitor and audit the services including the quality of care records, medication and infection control.

Staff were being supported through individual supervision which gave them the opportunity to discuss the care they provided and their own personal development.

31 July 2013

During a routine inspection

At the time of our inspection the registered managed was on maternity leave and the deputy manager was not on duty. Everyone we spoke with felt that the service was well led and managed in the best interests of the people who used it. Following the inspection we gave feedback over the telephone to the manager at her request.

The people who used the service were happy with the support they received from staff. They felt that staff were caring and attentive to their needs. A visitor said, "It is magnificent here and is a credit to the people who own it."

People received care and support in the way they preferred it and personal choices were taken into account. Care was centred on people as individuals and people's needs were met in a dignified and respectful way.

People were supported to maintain as much independence as possible and were encouraged to maintain their social and therapeutic needs.

People had their health care needs monitored and were supported to obtain advice and treatment from various health care professionals as and when they required this. The service had good links with the doctors and district nursing team.

Staff received training and support so that they could meet the needs of people safely and effectively, and there was a skilled staff team on duty every day to provide this support.

The provider will need to ensure that improvements are made to some of the records in order to ensure that these are accurate and fit for purpose.

21 June 2012

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out this inspection as part of our schedule of inspections. We wanted to see what life was like for the people who lived in the home. We also wanted to see whether the service had made any improvements since we last visited.

During our visit to the service we spoke with the manager, two care staff and the activities coordinator. We also spoke with a total of seven people who lived in the home and three sets of visitors.

The visit was unannounced. This means that the service did not know that we were coming.

The provider had made many improvements to the service since our last visit.

There had been improvements to the environment, both internally and externally. This had enhanced the home and provided better facilities for the people who lived there.

The provider had introduced a varied programme of activities and entertainment in order to meet the social and therapeutic needs of individual people who lived in the home.

The way that people were supported with their care needs had improved. People felt consulted and included in their care and they felt that the service met their needs and looked after them very well.

The way that people received their meals had changed and improved.

People thought that the meals served at the home were very good and offered choice and variety.

We received the following comments from people who lived at the home, visitors and staff who worked there. 'The staff are brilliant here, they do loads of things with them' and 'The manager is very approachable' and 'They ring me straight away with any changes'.

The provider was developing quality assurance and was introducing new ways to monitor and improve services.

As part of our assessment of the service we gather the views of other people who visit the service. The local authority quality monitoring officer had recently carried out a monitoring visit at the service. She told us that this had been a positive visit and that she had not found any issues of concern.