Archived: Dovercourt House Residential Care Home

There were 23 people living in the service when we inspected on 7 March 2016. This was an unannounced inspection.

There was a registered manager in post, who was also one of the providers. 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.

There were procedures and processes in place to ensure the safety of the people who used the service. There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs. Recruitment processes checked the suitability of staff to work in the service. There were arrangements in place to ensure people were provided with the medicines in a safe way.

Staff were trained and supported to meet the needs of the people who used the service. The service was up to date with the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People’s nutritional needs were assessed and met. People were supported to see, when needed, health and social care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment.

Staff had good relationships with people who used the service and were attentive to their needs. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and interacted with people in a caring, respectful and professional manner.

People were provided with personalised care and support which was planned to meet their individual needs. People, or their representatives, were involved in making decisions about their care and support.

A complaints procedure was in place. People’s comments, concerns and complaints were listened to, addressed in a timely manner.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to the people who used the service. The service had a quality assurance system and shortfalls were identified and addressed promptly. As a result the quality of the service continued to improve.

People told us that the staff treated them with respect and kindness. One person said, 'They (staff) are all very kind.' Another person said, 'They (staff) always have a nice smile.' This was confirmed in our observations during our inspection. We saw that staff interacted with people in a caring, respectful and professional manner.

We spoke with three relatives of people who used the service. They told us that they were happy with the service that their relatives were provided with. One person's relative said, "I can go home, knowing my (relative) is being looked after." Another said, "They are very good with (relative)."

We looked at the care records of four people who used the service and found that people experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. We found that the provider's medication procedures and processes ensured that people were provided with their medication at the prescribed times. People's comments were listened to and acted on.

We found that there were sufficient staff numbers who were trained to meet the needs of the people who used the service.

During our inspection people told us that they liked living at Dovercourt House. We saw that people smiled and they appeared relaxed and comfortable with staff and others living in the home.

Relatives were complimentary about the standard of care provided at Dovercourt House. One relative said 'I cannot speak highly enough of the care.'

Medical professionals who visited the home during our inspection praised the care at the home. One said 'We need more places like Dovercourt House' and another told us they had every confidence in the home.

One person living in the home told us they liked the food and someone else said that they liked living at Dovercourt House because 'There's always something going on.'