Archived: Durlston House

Updated 21 April 2018

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place 6 and 7 March 2018 and was announced. This was the first inspection at Durlston House under their current registration. In September 2015 the service was inspected under one registration with another Homes Caring for Autism service.

We gave the service 24 hour notice of the inspection site visit due to the impact visitors can have upon the needs of the people using the service. The inspection was conducted by one inspector and the inspection notice was presented on the communication board in the communal entrance, with a photograph of the inspector.

People living at the service experience anxiety when speaking with professionals that they have not previously met. To reduce these anxieties, we spoke with four people’s relatives for their feedback on behalf of their family member, as well as each member of staff on duty during the inspection. As part of the inspection we spoke with two health and social care professionals, six members of staff, the registered manager and the regional manager. After the inspection, we received email feedback from three health and social care professionals.

Before we visited, we looked at the notifications we had received from the registered manager. Services tell us about important events relating to the care they provide, using a notification. We also reviewed the Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make.

Updated 21 April 2018

Durlston House provide accommodation and personal care for 5 people. The service is set across three storeys. The ground floor had a communal lounge, conservatory, dining room and kitchen. There was a self-contained flat with adapted facilities and a garden area for one person “‘nested”’ within the house, accessible from the main corridor. There were three outdoor spaces, including a sensory garden.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen. Registering the Right Support CQC policy.

There was a registered manager in post and present throughout 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 received person-centred, dignified and respectful care. People enjoyed the company of staff and there was lots of laughter and friendly conversation. People chose and were supported to spend their time how they wished. The activities plans were varied and reflected the individual interests of people.

Each aspect of the care and support people received was personalised to meet their needs. Including, choosing the exact décor and furnishings for their bedrooms.

People were supported by well trained, knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff. People appeared to feel comfortable and confident in the company of staff and staff understood the individual needs of people. Staff understood their role as a key-worker meant they could advocate for the person, representing the person’s voice in reviews and in making choices.

The registered manager had been in post since January 2017 and had greatly improved the culture and ethos of the service. The registered manager had built a strong and efficient staff team, and had plans for on-going development of the service. This registered manager had a clear oversight of the service and understood the needs of each person, any actions that were required following on from audits. The registered manager also understood how any changes made to the service had to be with the person at the centre, with their rights, feelings, and support required being considered.

Relatives, staff, and professionals without exception praised the support that the service provides. Staff were proud of the quality of the support they offer and of the manager’s strength in leading the team.

The staff supported people to achieve great outcomes and make positive changes to their lifestyle and well-being. The outcomes achieved included a vast reduction in incidents of challenging behaviours.

Medicines were managed safely and people received timely medicine reviews. The service had not had any medicine increases for people, only reductions, or changes in types of medicine to ensure people had healthier and happier lives.

Staff understood and worked within the principles of legislation in place to support and protect people, including the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).