• Care Home
  • Care home

Whitecliffe House

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

White Cliff Mill Street, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 7BQ (01258) 450011

Provided and run by:
Colten Care (2009) Limited

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

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Whitecliffe House 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 Whitecliffe House, you can give feedback on this service.

24 August 2020

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Whitecliffe House 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.

Whitecliffe House is registered to accommodate up to 31 people. At the time of our inspection there were 23 older people living there.

We found the following examples of good practice.

The home had a clear visiting protocol for people, staff, professionals and essential contractors. Information about this was prominently displayed at the entrance and around the home. Relatives had received a letter informing them of the process. Visits were by appointment only and were carefully managed to ensure they met the latest best practice guidance. Visit times were structured to not conflict with shift start and end times. All visitors were required to complete a health questionnaire and have their temperature checked. When this was completed satisfactorily, they were supplied with the required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Where people were anxious about PPE the home had participated in video calls with them and their families to talk them through the reasons why it was needed and provided reassurance.

The home was clean and uncluttered. The cleaning schedule included general cleaning and advanced cleaning for high touch point areas such as light switches, handrails and door handles. Specialist cleaning products were used to minimise the risk of infection. Management spot checks were conducted to ensure infection prevention and control compliance.

The Registered Manager and Quality Manager had worked together, and consulted with people, relatives and staff, to identify an area of the home that could be used to safely isolate people if they had an outbreak.

The home had a robust admissions policy. The pre-admission assessment included a thorough needs assessment, recent test status and any risks linked to where people were being admitted from, for example, a hospital ward. On admission people were supported with a welcome pack which included magazines, newspapers and a device to access entertainment.

People were actively encouraged to use the outdoor space and join in with activities. In addition, the home had purchased tablet computers and mobile phones to facilitate contact between people and their family and friends. These initiatives were helping people to maintain their mental and physical wellbeing.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

21 March 2018

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on 21 March 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection continued on 22 March 2018 and was announced.

Whitecliffe House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The care home accommodates up to 31 people across three floors. The service is located in Blandford and is a large purpose built building with rooms arranged over three floors and a central ground floor lounge and dining area. There is both lift and stairlift access to the first and second floors. Bedrooms had toilet and basin facilities and there were both accessible showers and baths on each floor. People are able to access an outside courtyard space at the home. There were 21 people living at the home at the time of our inspection.

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.

People were protected from the risk of harm by staff who understood the possible signs of abuse and how to recognise these and report any concerns. Staff were also aware of the risks that people faced and understood their role in managing these to ensure people received safe care.

People were supported by enough staff to provide effective, person centred support. Staff were recruited safely with appropriate pre-employment checks and received training and support to ensure that they had the necessary skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs.

People received their medicines as prescribed and staff worked with healthcare professionals to ensure that people received joined up, consistent care. Medicines were stored securely and recorded accurately.

People were supported from the spread of infection by staff who understood their role in infection control and used appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

People were supported to make choices about all areas of their support and staff understood the principles of mental capacity. Where decisions were needed in people’s best interests, these were in place. Where people required application to be made to the local authority for DoLS, these had been completed.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink and there were systems in place to ensure that any concerns around weight loss were monitored. People’s preferences for meals were well known and choices were offered if people did not want the meal provided. Feedback about the quality of food was positive.

People were supported to receive personalised, compassionate end of life care and their wishes and preferences were recorded.

People and those important to them were involved in planning the support they would receive and also regularly asked for their views about the support and any changes to people’s needs. Reviews identified where people’s needs had changed and reflected changes to the support provided in response to this.

People were supported by staff who respected their individuality and protected their privacy. Staff told us that they would ensure that people’s religious or other beliefs were supported and protected. Staff had undertaken training in equality and diversity and understood how to use this learning in practice.

Interactions with people were kind and caring and relatives told us that their loved ones received safe, compassionate care.

People were supported to access healthcare professionals when required and the service worked with a number of external agencies to ensure that people received joined up, consistent care.

People were supported to have one to one time with staff in social activities which were meaningful to them. Activities were varied and planned monthly after discussion and feedback from people. Visitors were welcomed at the home and kept up to date about how their loved ones were.

Staff were confident in their roles, enjoyed their jobs and felt supported by the registered manager and provider. People and relatives spoke positively about the registered manager and felt they were approachable and saw them on a regular basis.

Quality assurance measures were used to highlight whether any changes to policy, processes or improvements in practice were required. We were given examples where feedback had been used to drive improvements at the home.