Dimensions 123 Calmore Road

Updated 16 March 2022

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.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 28 February 2022 and was unannounced. We tried to give notice of the inspection but found the telephone number supplied by the provider was no longer in use.

Updated 16 March 2022

About the service: Dimensions 123 Calmore Road is a residential care home providing personal care to three people who had a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

• Staff received safeguarding training and regular updates and would not hesitate to whistle blow if their concerns were not listened to.

• Risks were assessed in areas such as environment, care and behaviours and actions were taken to mitigate any identified concerns.

• Staff were safely recruited and participated in an in-depth induction and mandatory training before commencing working with people.

• Sufficient staff were deployed to support people in the service however some staff needed additional guidance in how to support and occupy people.

• Staff turnover was high and more staff, who had significant knowledge and experience of the people they cared for, would be leaving in the weeks following our inspection. Recruitment was underway to fill vacancies.

• Medicines were safely managed however the medicines cabinet had patches of chipped paint inside which exposed bare metal which was an infection control risk. The provider was planning to replace the cabinet.

• The premises were clean and an infection control audit annually ensured that safe hygiene levels were achieved and maintained.

• Staff supervisions had been regular however were now all slightly overdue. The locality manager had plans to address this. • People were supported with nutrition; a photographic menu was in use and staff knew how to best support people to eat at mealtimes.

• Peoples rooms were personalised and in one bungalow, people also had a living room which had been personalised with their belongings, art work and photographs.

• People were supported to access GP’s and other medical professionals as required.

• Deprivation of Liberties Safeguarding authorisations were applied for and though one person’s authorisation had expired, a new application had been submitted and the provider was awaiting a response.

• Staff were caring and respectful most of the time. We saw one staff member who was less respectful which we discussed with the locality manager.

• Staff could interpret people’s communication well, they understood when words were used that had a different meaning for people and could understand what non-verbal sounds meant.

• There was an activity plan each day however this was minimal. The provider told us they were reviewing the provision of activities and would be introducing a fuller in-house activity provision.

• Several changes to the management team of the service had unsettled staff members who had felt unsupported as indicated by high staff turnover and high staff sickness levels. A new management team had been put in place a week before our inspection and, though staff morale was not high, it had improved already.

• Monthly staff meetings had not taken place as planned in 2018, only two had been recorded.

The service met the characteristics of Good in most areas. More information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection: Good. Report published 29 September 2016.

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled and planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service and will re-inspect according to our re-inspection schedule for services rated as Good.

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