Delrose House

About the service

Delrose House is a 6 bedded service for people with mental health needs, physical disabilities, learning disabilities or dementia. At the time of our inspection, there were 6 people using the service.

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

Right support

People and staff told us that the service was good and that they could speak with the registered manager as and when they wanted. There were enough staff to meet people’s care and support needs. People were protected by appropriate recruitment processes. A system was in place to record accidents and incidents. There were policies and procedures regarding the prevention and control of infection. The registered manager had links with the wider community in order to help ensure a joined-up approach to people's support.

Right care

People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs. Potential risks about people’s safety were assessed to ensure they were supported to remain as safe as possible. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities and had access to policies and procedures to inform and guide them. 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.

Right culture

There was an open culture within the service, which was focussed on people. The registered manager was approachable and worked with the staff to ensure people were supported appropriately. There were systems in place to monitor the service and address any areas of improvement where needed. People were safeguarded from abuse or harm and staff understood how to keep people safe and report any concerns they had.

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 on 13 April 2018).

Why we inspected

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

We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. For those key question not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Delrose House 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.

We found the following examples of good practice.

The service had policies and procedures to manage any risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

There was a good stock of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Hand sanitiser was available in different areas within the service. Staff had received updated training in donning/doffing PPE.

There was regular COVID-19 testing for people using the service, their visitors and staff. People were being supported to receive visits from their relatives.

People living in the service and their relatives were supported to maintain contact, with visiting available at all times.

The registered manager knew where to get advice regarding an outbreak and what their role and responsibilities were.

There were daily cleaning schedules in place. However, we noted some of the wooden flooring had gaps in them which made it difficult to clean thoroughly. This was discussed with the registered manager. They told us the flooring would be replaced in the next four weeks. Some areas of the service also needed redecorating.

At our last inspection on 26 May 2015 we rated the service good.

At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on-going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People were protected from abuse. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report any concerns. People's medicines were managed safely by staff who had been trained and assessed as competent in administering medicines. People received their medicines as prescribed. Sufficient staff were deployed to meet people's needs and keep them safe. Robust recruitment procedures ensured only suitable staff were employed. We looked around the premises and found it had been maintained, was clean and hygienic and a safe place

for people to live.

We observed during the inspection visit friendly interactions between the owner and people who lived at the home. We saw that care workers and the registered manager related well with people they supported and cared for. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People who lived at Delrose House said meals were of a good standard. They said alternatives were available if they did not like what was being offered. People had access to healthcare professionals and records were kept of outcomes of visits and what action was taken to meet their healthcare needs.

People were cared for by an enthusiastic staff team, who spoke highly of people and told us they enjoyed working at Delrose House. People said that staff were kind and they were treated with dignity and respect.

Care staff were familiar with what support and care people who lived at the home required. People were supported to lead full and varied lives and were supported to form relationships within the local community. One person who lived at the home said, "I can meet friends if I want to.” Another person said, “I regularly visit my relatives.” The service had a complaints procedure which was made available to people on their admission to the home and their relatives. The people we spoke with told us they were happy with the service and had no complaints.

People and visitors told us that the service was well managed. The provider had a quality assurance system in place which enabled them to monitor the quality of care provided to people and drive improvement. There was a person-centred culture within the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that ensured people's safety and welfare. We observed members of staff speaking to people politely and encouraged social conversations. People spoke positively about the staff team. One person said 'we are well looked after.'

Health professionals such as the psychiatrist, optical, dental and chiropody services saw people regularly to ensure their health care needs were met.

People who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

Staff received appropriate professional development. There was a training programme in place for all staff. Staff were provided with the skills and knowledge to provide a safe and effective service.

The provider took account of complaints and comments to improve the service. Surveys were completed on an annual basis with people using the service. The last survey was completed in November 2013. Comments included, 'Delrose House takes good care of my brother very well and I am grateful to them, as he has improved a lot since he went there,' and 'I have found Delrose House staff very helpful and compassionate. I am so grateful that my son has been given the support to help him in all areas of his life.'

Policies and procedures and staff records were kept in a lockable cabinet in the staff office which was also kept locked when not in use. This meant records were kept safe and confidential.

People we spoke with made positive comments about the staff group saying that they were "happy" and "well looked after". Other people we spoke to said that they had no concerns or complaints about the standard of care and said that communication was appropriate and timely. Other health and social care professionals we spoke with made positive comments about the staff and commented that the staff at Delrose House contributed appropriately to the multi disciplinary processes.