Deer Park View Care Centre

Deer Park View Care Centre Home is a residential care home providing regulated activities of personal and nursing care to up to 60 people. The service provides support to people living with dementia, mental and physical health needs. At the time of our inspection there were 51 people using the service.

The purpose-built care home comprises three separate floors, each of which has separate facilities. One of the floors specialises in providing care to people living with dementia.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The majority of comments about staffing levels were positive. Comments from people and their relatives included, “When I use the call-bell they [staff] do come quite quickly” and “They [staff] do their best but I don’t think there are enough carers at times.” However, not enough staff were consistently allocated to provide people with activities of their choosing, particularly those who stayed long periods in their rooms. Comments received included, “I haven’t got anyone to talk”; “Not much activities, I need to go out more” and “[Staff members] are really nice but they don’t have time for me, only time to do the medication.”

Staff received training in safeguarding and knew how to identify abuse. However, there was an incident at the service that showed staff did not fully understand safeguarding processes and how to escalate concerns.

Quality assurances systems were in place but not always effectively used to monitor some aspects of care provided. Staff were trained and received supervisions to enable them to undertake their roles. However, supervisions were not effectively used to encourage staff development. Uptake of training sometimes fell below the provider’s recommended levels. Staff did not always undertake refresher courses or training when due.

People were supported to manage and receive their medicines in line with best practice and any concerns identified were resolved. However, an incident involving an unsafe medicine practice is under investigation by various agencies.

The majority of the people felt safe at the service and that their needs were met. Comments included, “On the whole yes I feel safe” and “I am safe here and I’m very happy.” People were supported by staff who underwent safe recruitment practices and received induction before they started providing care. Staff were trained in infection control and prevention including following COVID-19 guidance.

People received care appropriate to their needs. They commented, “I’m very happy with the support I have been getting, the best thing here is the medical attention I get” and “The staff here do help and support me and my needs are being met.”

People received care in a manner that respected their privacy and dignity. One person told us, “The staff are kind and pleasant.”

People using the service and their relatives when appropriate were involved in planning for their care. Care and support plans were reviewed and updated to enable staff to support people meet their needs and choices. The provider worked with other agencies and social and health professionals to ensure people received appropriate support.

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 good (published 04 October 2017).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Deer Park Centre Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement

We have identified a breach in relation to good governance at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

Deer Park View Care Centre is registered to provide care for up to 60 older people and has specialised nursing and dementia units. The home is purpose built and provides accommodation for people in en-suite single rooms.

The home had a registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the last inspection in June 2015 the home met all the key questions and was rated good in each with an overall good rating.

The people living at Deer Park View and their relatives thought staff provided a good level of support and care, that was delivered in a respectful way and the home was a nice place to live. People were given the opportunity to do what they wanted, in their own time and joined in the activities provided if they wished.

The home had a warm atmosphere that was welcoming and friendly and visitors said they were always made to feel welcome. They told us the home’s environment was a safe one for people to live and work in. The home was clean and well-maintained.

There were up to date records kept and the care plans contained clearly recorded, fully completed, and regularly reviewed information. The records supported staff to perform their duties appropriately.

The staff knew the people they worked with well and this included their likes, dislikes, routines and preferences. Staff had appropriate skills, experience and qualifications and were focussed on providing individualised care and support that was delivered in a professional, friendly and compassionate way. They also made themselves accessible to people and their relatives. Staff told us they had access to good training, support and career advancement.

People were protected from nutrition and hydration associated risks with balanced diets that also met their likes, dislikes and preferences. They said the choice of meals and quality of the food provided was very good. People had the opportunity and were encouraged to discuss their health needs with staff and had access to community based health care professionals, as well as nursing staff, if they were required. We saw that people were prompted and supported to eat their lunch or drink in a timely manner, when this was required.

The home’s management team were approachable, responsive, encouraged feedback from people and consistently monitored and assessed the quality of the service provided.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

One person said "The food is brilliant and tasty and just right for the age group".

We saw that the home was clean and tidy. We observed that the staff treated people with respect and dignity. People were given a choice in daily living for example activities and food.

Relatives we spoke with said "The staff show lots of love and care to the people living here", "We chose this home as when we visited all the staff had smiley faces and the warm atmosphere" and "I am impressed how caring the staff are and my relative has said they are happy with the care".

The staff we spoke with confirmed they had regular supervision sessions with their manager and they felt supported. A staff member said "The training helps me a lot and improves how I work".

Relatives said "The manager is the best asset this home has" and "If you have dementia it's a great place to be".