We carried out a review of the data available to us about Darwin Court Care Centre 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 Darwin Court Care Centre, you can give feedback on this service.
Darwin Court Care Centre is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 99 people at the time of the inspection. Darwin Court accommodates up to 112 people across six separate suites, each of which has separate facilities. Each of the six suites has a different specialism including residential care, nursing care, dementia and complex dementia care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found.
Some people and relatives expressed concerns about staffing. We found some people experienced delays in their care due to staffing levels.
People told us they felt safe and staff knew how to identify and report concerns relating to people’s safety. Staff were aware of people’s risks, and these were assessed and managed to reduce the risk of avoidable harm. People received support to take their medicines safely and systems used for the management of medicines were safe. Staff were aware of their duty to report incidents and accidents and these were reviewed by the registered manager and actions taken to reduce the risk of future harm.
People’s needs were assessed and care plans documented people’s individual needs and preferences. Staff received training relevant to their role and were supported with their personal development. People received enough to eat and drink to maintain their health. There were plans to improve areas of the home to ensure the environment better met the needs of people living with dementia.
Decisions about people’s care and treatment were made in line with law and guidance. 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.
People were supported by a caring staff team who respected people’s diverse needs. Staff supported people to maintain their independence where possible. People’s dignity was valued and staff treated people and their family members with respect.
People were supported by a staff team who knew them well and understood their needs and preferences. People and their family members were involved in the assessment and planning of their care. People were supported to take part in pastimes and personal hobbies and interests. People and their relatives knew how to raise a concern if they were unhappy about the care they received. Where people received support at the end of their lives the staff acted with sensitivity giving consideration to people’s wishes and feelings.
People, relatives and staff felt the service was well managed. The registered manager had made improvements since the last inspection and these were known and understood by people, relatives and staff. Feedback provided by people and relatives was used to drive improvements. The registered and deputy manager and provider undertook regular auditing to ensure the quality of care provided.
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 requires improvement (published 29 September 2018).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
Darwin Court Care Centre is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. Darwin Court Care Centre accommodates up to 112 people in one adapted building. At the time of the inspection there were 100 people living in the care home.
There was a registered manager in post at the time of 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.
Improvements were needed to ensure people had consistent access to staff at the times they needed support. Checks on the quality of the service provided to people were not always effective.
People were protected from abuse and risks to their safety were assessed, identified and managed appropriately. The home and equipment were maintained to minimise the risk of cross infection. The registered manager had systems in place to learn when things went wrong. People had their medicines as prescribed.
People’s needs were assessed and plans were in place to meet their needs. The home was adapted to meet people’s needs. Health care professional were involved in peoples care as required. Care was delivered consistently and we found staff newly appointed received an induction, had their competency checked and received regular updates to their training.
People had enough to eat and had a choice of meals. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People received support from caring staff. People were supported to make choices and were supported to maintain their independence. People had their communication needs assessed and systems were in place to support them to communicate effectively. People were treated with dignity and respect.
People received support from staff that understood their needs and preferences. Staff understood how to provide end of their life. People understood how to complain and these were responded to.
People and their relatives had the opportunity to share their feedback. Staff felt supported by the management team.
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.
We had previously inspected the home on 16 and 17 March 2016, when it was under a different provider. When the new provider took over the home, the management team and staff remained the same. This was our first inspection since the location had reregistered with us. We have referred to the previous inspection within this report.
At our last inspection, we told the provider to take action to make certain improvements. When people were not able to make certain decisions, the provider had not always acted in accordance with the guidance available. People were not always treated with dignity and respect, and records relating to the care of people were not always fit for purpose. The provider sent us an action plan stating how they would address these issues.
We had also found that improvements were needed to ensure people received consistent support from staff that knew them well to enable them to carry out their roles effectively. We also reported that improvements were needed to ensure that people received care that was individual to them and responsive to their needs, and that consistency in leadership was required across the units.
At this inspection, we found that the provider had made various improvements, but further improvements were still required. We had concerns that some people did not have their drinks monitored effectively and people gave mixed feedback about the meals. People were not always at the centre of the care they received and did not always have the opportunity to participate in stimulating activities.
People were safe receiving support from staff who understood how to protect people from harm. Risks were assessed, managed and reviewed to minimise potential harm. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. The provider had safe recruitment processes in place and people’s medicines were managed to ensure they were protected from the risks associated with them.
Staff understood how to support people to make decisions, and when needed decisions were made in their best interests. Staff gained people’s consent before support was given and when people were restricted this was done lawfully. Staff were equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to carry out their roles. People were supported to maintain their physical health.
Staff knew people well and supported them in a dignified manner. Their privacy was respected and important relationships were maintained. People were involved with the planning of their care. They knew how to raise complaints and the provider acted on these in a timely manner.
There was effective management and leadership across the units and people’s care records reflected their needs. There was a positive culture within the service and people were actively encouraged to share their experiences and provide feedback. There were systems in place to assess, monitor and review the quality of the service. The provider used this information to drive continuous improvement.