Archived: Derwentside Dementia Care Centre

157 Durham Road, Blackhill, Consett, County Durham, DH8 5TH (01207) 581596

Provided and run by:
Mental Health Care

All Inspections

21 November 2012

During a routine inspection

Derwentside Dementia Care Centre occupied the ground floor of Benfield Villas. The upper floor of the building was used by another service of the registered provider, Mental Health Care; a registered charity.

On the day of our inspection we saw 14 people lived at the home, although one person was in hospital. All except one person who lived at the home had dementia needs, so were not always able to tell us about their experiences of living at the home. We therefore spent time watching how people were supported. People appeared generally content, at ease in the home and with the staff on duty.

We spoke with three people. Those able to express an opinion told us they were happy and were well cared for.

5 January 2012

During a routine inspection

Many of the people who lived at the home had dementia needs, so were not always able to tell us about their experiences. We used a formal way to observe people in this inspection to help us understand how their needs were supported. We call this the 'Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI).' This involved us observing four people who lived at the home for a period of at least one hour and recording their experiences at regular intervals. We looked at people's mood, and how they interacted with staff members, other people who use services, and the environment.

Throughout the observation we saw that on the whole staff treated people with respect and courtesy. We saw staff reassure people when they were distressed. Overall we saw that staff responded to people in a dignified and respectful way.

We were able to speak with some of the people who lived at the home. Their comments were very positive. One person told us, 'They leave me to do what I can, but they are there when I need them.'

People were very complimentary about the staff members at the home. One person told us, 'The staff are wonderful.' Another person said, 'The staff are very nice.'