Deepdene Court

Updated 9 August 2024

Date of assessment 23 to 26 September 2024. We found four breaches of the legal regulations in relation to safeguarding, safe care and treatment, governance and the failure to notify CQC of allegations of abuse. Staff did not consistently protect people from abuse and improper treatment. Staff did not always assess risks to people's health and safety or mitigate them where identified. Medicines were not always administered safely. People did not always have care plans to guide safe practice There was a lack of leadership. Governance systems and audits were not effective in identifying or addressing areas for improvement. However, there were enough staff to ensure people’s safety. An assessment has been undertaken of this service that is used by autistic people or people with a learning disability, but is not registered as a specialist service. We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. The service had not fully considered the needs and aspirations of people with learning disabilities and autistic people, and this had a negative impact on their quality of life. In instances where CQC have decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/ or appeals have been concluded.

Updated 9 August 2024

While the people we spoke to expressed that they were generally happy with their care, our assessment found elements of care did not meet the expected standards. People spoke positively about the staff at Deepdene Court and said they were kind and caring. However, people expressed concerns about the high turnover of staff and managers. Some people told us they did not always feel safe. One person described how they felt anxious when other people had incidents of distress or became angry and emotional. However, other people said they felt safe because staff supported them. Some people were able to go out in the local community when they wanted to. Others needed support from staff. Opportunities were limited for social engagement and activities to provide stimulation and enrichment in people’s lives. Staff said this was because people were reluctant to engage with activities. This did not support an effective recovery model for people. The outcomes for some people with learning disabilities did not fully reflect the principles and values of Right support, right care, right culture. The model of care and setting did not maximise people’s choice, control and independence. Following the inspection, the provider told us what they would do to ensure people’s needs were reviewed.