Archived: The Dell

Updated 7 January 2016

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 on 11 November 2015 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one Inspector.

We reviewed the information we held about the home including notifications of incidents that the provider had sent us. Notifications are reports that the provider is required to send to us to inform us about incidents that have happened at the home, such as accidents or a serious injury. We liaised with the Local Authority Commissioning team to identify areas we may wish to focus upon in the planning of this inspection.

We spoke with two people who used the service, two relatives, three staff members and the registered manager. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and how the home was managed. This included looking closely at the care provided to three people by reviewing their care records. We reviewed three staff recruitment records, the staff training matrix, two medication records and a variety of quality assurance audits.

Updated 7 January 2016

The Dell is registered to provide accommodation for up to seven people who require accommodation and personal care. People who live there may include younger adults who have a range of needs which include learning disability, autism or physical disability. At the time of our inspection six people were using the service. Our inspection was unannounced and took place on 11 November 2015. The last inspection took place on 02 July 2014 and all the regulations were met.

The manager was registered with us as is required by law. 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 told us they felt confident that the service provided to them was safe and protected them from harm. Staff we spoke with were clear about how they could access and utilise the provider’s whistle blowing policy and that they knew how to keep people safe.

Medicines were given appropriately with audits carried out regularly. Medicines that were refused or not given were recorded and disposed of appropriately.

We observed there were a suitable amount of staff on duty with the skills, experience and training in order to meet people’s needs. People told us that they were able to raise any concerns they had and felt confident they would be acted upon.

People’s ability to make important decisions was considered in line with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff interacted with people in a positive manner and used a variety of communication methods to establish their consent and/or understanding.

People were supported to take food and drinks in sufficient quantities to prevent malnutrition and dehydration. People were supported to access a range of health and social care professionals to ensure their health needs were met.

Staff maintained people’s privacy and dignity whilst encouraging them to remain as independent as possible.

People were involved in the planning of care as far as possible and staff delivered care in line with people’s preferences and wishes.

The complaints procedure was displayed in a clear and understandable format to maximise people’s knowledge and understanding of how to make a complaint.

People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the approachable nature and leadership skills of the registered manager. Structures for supervision allowing staff to understand their roles and responsibilities were in place.

Systems for updating and reviewing risk assessments and care plans to reflect people’s level of support needs and any potential related risks were effective.

Quality assurance audits were undertaken regularly. The registered manager had also ensured that checks on staff were undertaken periodically.