Dorley House Residential Care Home

Updated 1 June 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Dorley House Residential Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Dorley House Residential Care Home is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post who was supported by a second manager who was not registered with CQC. The registered manager was away at the time of the inspection therefore the second manager supported us throughout the inspection.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we hold about the service and contacted the local authority for information. We reviewed statutory notifications sent to us by the home about events that had occurred at the service. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

Not everyone was able to tell us about their experiences living at Dorley House Residential Care Home, therefore, we spent time in communal areas of the home observing care and support provided and staff interactions with people to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We chatted with 8 people during the inspection and received feedback following the inspection from 2 relatives and a visiting health professional. We reviewed a range of records and observed care throughout the day. We spoke to 5 staff including the manager and provider.

Updated 1 June 2023

About the service

Dorley House provides care and accommodation for up to 33 older people with care needs associated with older age including dementia. There were 25 people living at the service on the day of our inspection. Dorley House is an adapted building in a residential area of Eastbourne with a passenger lift and access to outside areas.

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

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.

We received positive feedback from relatives who told us they felt their love ones were well looked after at Dorley House Residential Care Home.

Staff had a good understanding about how to recognise and report any concerns. Staff felt supported by the managers and able to raise any concerns if needed.

There were safe recruitment processes in place. New staff completed a period of induction and all staff had one to one supervision and appraisals. Staff meetings took place regularly to ensure all staff were up to date with any changes or improvements needed.

Medicines systems had recently been reviewed and improvements implemented. People received their medicines safely and in accordance with their prescription.

The home was clean and tidy. There were designated housekeeping staff who completed a daily cleaning schedule.

People were able to spend time in communal areas of in their rooms. Some people had personalised their bedrooms with trinkets and photographs. A programme of redecoration was in progress.

We observed staff interactions with people and activities taking place in communal areas. People responded openly and with a smile when spoken to by staff. Music and activities were taking place throughout the day.

The registered and home manager supported by the provider, carried out regular quality assurance which included all aspects of the day to day running of the home. An improvement plan was also used to facilitate ongoing improvement.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 27 May 2022).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to safeguarding concerns raised with the local authority regarding care provision and the environment. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well led sections of this full report.

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

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.