We carried out a review of the data available to us about Derwen College 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 Derwen College, you can give feedback on this service.
About the service
Derwen College is a further education college for younger adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and/or autistic people. The college provides personal and nursing care to up to 150 people. At the time of our inspection 144 people were using the service. The accommodation at the college is registered as a care home and support is provided over multiple buildings. The college also operates a supported living service and a short break service which is accessed by people living in the community.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.
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: People were supported to develop their independent living skills and use the college experience to develop any areas of interest. People’s needs were assessed prior to attending the college and care plans were developed with the input of people, their relatives and the funding authority. Risks to people’s safety were considered and people were supported to understand how they can keep themselves safe. 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: People's communication needs were assessed, and people were supported to use various communication tools to assist in their engagement with others. People were supported by a team of specialist learning disability health professionals who oversaw their physical and emotional wellbeing. People received their medicine as prescribed and were knowledgeable about what they took and why. People received care that was person centred and people’s privacy was respected. Staff had access to protective personal equipment (PPE) to limit the risk of infection. People were protected from the risk of harm by robust safeguarding processes being in place.
Right Culture: People and staff were positive about the culture at Derwen college. People felt able to speak up and confident their concerns would be listened to. The provider was responsive when concerns were raised and acted when things went wrong and lessons needed to be learnt. The management team worked together to oversee the care people received and carried out regular audits to ensure the service was safe and best practice was promoted throughout.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 17 August 2019). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Derwen College is a further education college for adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and/or autism. It is registered to provide accommodation with personal care and nursing for up to 150 people. At the time of inspection there were 114 people receiving a service.
People lived in a range of different properties from individual bungalows to small group homes and dormitory style accommodation. The majority of people live at the college during term time and return to families/carers over holiday periods. A small group of previous students live at the college all year around. There were various enterprises on the site which people attended as part of their college placement including a restaurant, garden centre and mini hotel.
People’s experience of using this service
People receive a service that is in line with the principles of Registering the Right Support. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice and independence. People using the service received planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that was appropriate and inclusive for them.
People were supported by staff who understood safeguarding however protection plans did not always reflect the severity of an allegation. Risks to people safety were not always considered and staff did not always have the guidance to support people with high risk behaviours. People were exposed to infection control risks in certain areas while properties awaited refurbishment.
Governance systems were in place however they had not highlighted a number of areas of concern.
People felt that they were well treated but that some staff could improve how they spoke to them. People’s dignity was respected but people’s privacy was potentially compromised due to missing locks on some bathroom doors. People received their medicine on time by trained staff however medicine errors were not always followed up.
People were supported by sufficient staff to meet their needs. People were supported by staff who had received the necessary training and supervision. Staff felt well supported and understood the values of the service.
People received care that was personalised to their needs and in line with their educational goals.People were involved in decisions about their care and had access to a range of communication tools to support engagement. People were supported to access healthcare. People were supported with independent living skills.
People had access to a complaints procedure and complaints were investigated. Lessons were learnt when things went wrong.Buildings were adapted to people’s needs and further work was planned.
The service was focused on continuous improvement and working with others.
Derwen college does not provide end of life care
Rating at last inspection
At the last inspection the service was rated as good (Report published 23 November 2016)
Why we inspected
This inspection was carried out in line with our inspection methodology and the date of the last inspection. We found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe section of this report.
Enforcement
We identified a breach in relation to the management of risk at this inspection. Please see what action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor all intelligence received about the service to ensure the next planned inspection is scheduled accordingly
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
The college was last inspected on the 26 and 29 September 2014 where we gave it an overall rating of good. We had identified that the provider had failed to notify the Care Quality Commission (CQC) of an incident of alleged abuse to one person who used the service. This was an offence contrary to Regulation 18 CQC (Registration) Regulations 2009. The provider sent us an action plan telling us how they were going to address the concerns raised. At this inspection we found some improvements had been made.
Derwen College is registered to provide accommodation with nursing care in a specialist educational setting for a maximum of 252 people aged 16 or over who have learning disabilities and complex health needs. The provider was also registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. This part of the service provided regulated activities to 23 people. 237 people were receiving support from the provider at the time of our inspection.
There were three registered managers in post who were present during the inspection. 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 felt safe living at the college and with the support provided by staff. Relatives were confident that staff kept their family member’s safe from harm. People were supported by staff who were knowledgeable about the different signs of abuse and how to report concerns. Staff knew the risks associated with people’s needs and how to minimise these. Staff did not start working at the college until checks were made to ensure they were suitable to work with the people that lived there.
There were enough staff to safely meet people’s needs. The provider had checks in place to ensure staffing was adapted to meet people’s changing needs and to support their social opportunities.
People were supported to take their medicine as prescribed. Where assessed as safe to do so, people managed their own medicine. Medicines were managed safely and accurate records were kept. Staff competency to manage medicines was regularly assessed to ensure they continued to manage medicines safely. People had access to good health care and were supported to manage their own health conditions.
People were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their individual needs. Staff felt well supported and could approach the management team for support at any time. Staff felt listened to and their contribution valued.
Staff used people’s preferred method of communication to enable them to understand and be involved in decisions about their care. Where people were unable to make certain decisions staff ensured that decisions made on their behalf were in their best interest.
People enjoyed their food and were supported to plan and prepare meals. People’s nutritional and dietary needs were assessed and guidance was followed by staff. Where required staff supported people to eat their meals.
People were supported by staff who were kind and considerate. People were involved in planning their care and felt listened to. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and encouraged them to be as independent as possible.
People were encouraged and supported to keep in contact with family and friends. Relatives we spoke with told us they were always made to feel welcome when they visited.
People received personalised care that was tailored to their individual needs and preferences. People were actively encouraged to pursue their interests and aspirations.
People and their relatives felt confident and able to raise any concerns with management or staff. The provider had a clear complaints process that was available in different formats.
People and their relatives were aware who the management were and felt they were approachable. People and their relative’s views about the quality of the service were sought and used to make improvement. Checks were carried out to monitor and develop the service.
There was an open and inclusive working culture where staff and management worked together to achieve positive outcomes for people.
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.
This inspection was carried out on 26 and 29 September 2014 and was unannounced, which meant the provider and staff did not know we were coming. At our previous inspection on 19 February 2013, we found the provider was meeting regulations in relation to the outcomes we inspected.
Derwen College is a specialist college where accommodation and services are provided in a learning environment for up 252 people aged 16 and over who have learning disabilities and other disabilities. At the time of the inspection 240 people used the services.
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 and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider. At the time of our inspection the registered manager was not at work but the college principal and director of student services assisted us with the inspection.
People told us staff supported them to maintain their safety. We found staff understood their responsibilities in reporting any incidents of abuse. However, an incident of alleged abuse had not been reported to the local authority by the provider when this had taken place. They had also failed to notify the Care Quality Commission of this incident in June 2014. You can see the action we have told the provider to take at the back of this report.
People who used the service told us they were happy with the care and support provided. People told us about how they were becoming more independent. This helped people when they moved on from the college so that they could achieve their own set goals in the world of work opportunities and into more independent living in the community.
People had access to a GP and other health care professionals when they needed it which included the college’s nurses, psychologist and speech and language therapist. Staff had completed training relevant to the needs of people which effectively supported their health and wellbeing.
Staff knew how to support people when specific decisions needed to be made to meet their needs in their best interests as required by the Mental Capacity Act 2005. We saw people were given choices about their care and support.
The CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. There were policies and procedures in relation to the DoLS and staff had received training.
The management and the leadership team recognised the importance of regularly checking and monitoring the quality of the services provided to people attending and residing at the college. Where improvements were identified action plans were put in place to continually drive through improvements for the benefit of people who used the service.
The provider achieved accredited status in a range of good practice areas which included becoming the ‘Makaton Centre of Excellence’ and winners in The Association of National Specialist Colleges inclusive skills competition winners in horticulture, catering, retail and art.