Dickley Court

Updated 20 November 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type

Dickley Court is registered as both an accommodation based care home and a community based domiciliary care agency (DCA) which delivers personal care to people living in their own homes. The provider Symbol Family Support Services Limited provides support primarily for people who have a learning disability living within a supported living service. At the time of our inspection Dickley Court was being used as a short breaks respite service, offering breaks for people who have a learning disability.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. The registered manager was also the managing director of the organisation Symbol UK Ltd.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because people are often out, and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us. We also needed to be sure the registered manager would be available to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the respite service. We observed care and support in communal areas to assess how people were supported by staff. We spoke with three care staff, the deputy manager and the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records about people's care and how the service was managed. This included looking at three care plans and one staff file. We also looked at records related to the management of the service such as quality audits, accident and incident, and policies and procedures.

Updated 20 November 2019

About the service

Dickley Court is registered as both an accommodation based care home and a community based domiciliary care agency (DCA) which delivers personal care to people living in their own homes. The provider Symbol Family Support Services Limited provides support primarily for people who have a learning disability living within a supported living service. At the time of our inspection Dickley Court was being used as a short breaks respite service, offering breaks for people who have a learning disability.

We have reported on the services provided by the short breaks respite service and the DCA separately under the evidence sections of the report, unless the evidence related to both services when we combined the

reporting.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service received planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People's experience of using this service:

The registered manager and provider ensured that there was a clear vision for the service to deliver individualised care and support. They were supported by a strong staff team who were appreciated by people who used the service, relatives and professionals.

The registered manager had undertaken training which they used to enhance the well-being of people who used the service, staff and relatives. This had a positive effect on the people we talked to and helped provide

the calm and happy atmosphere we witnessed.

There was high-quality leadership in the service, and a very high level of caring for and supporting staff. Strong links had been developed with other health and social care professionals which enabled the provider

to deliver consistently person-centred care.

People felt safe and comfortable living at the home. There was a calm atmosphere where staff were knowledgeable and skilled in supporting people with their routines, activities and behaviour.

There were safe systems in place to manage risks to people's health and associated within the service and the domiciliary care service. People were safeguarded from the risk of suffering abuse or avoidable harm.

People had access to healthcare services and input from specialist professionals when required. Their needs in relation to their personal care, nutrition and medicines were met.

People were able to have an input into their care planning and felt able to make complaints or give feedback about the quality of care. People had their dignity and privacy respected by staff who encouraged them to be as independent as possible.

The leadership of the home was very experienced and competent.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the home and the registered manager was aware of their regulatory responsibilities.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

People had the opportunity to have a say and to be involved in how the service was run and the registered manager took on board people's ideas of how the service could be improved. The registered manager ensured when things went wrong, lessons were learned and changes were made to further improve the service provided.

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

Rating at last inspection:

The service was rated good at our last inspection (published 30 January 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.