Archived: Dinnington

Updated 16 August 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

An adult social care inspector completed this unannounced inspection on the 27 June and 19 July 2017. We visited the service and the provider’s Newcastle office at the Regent Centre, Gosforth, which is where the manager is based.

We reviewed the information we held about the service prior to our inspection.

During the inspection we spoke with the two people who used the service. We also spoke with the manager and two support workers.

We spent time with people in the communal areas of the home and with people’s permission their bedrooms. We observed how staff interacted and supported individuals. We also looked around the service and observed the meal time experience. We looked at both people’s care records, rotas and training records, as well as records relating to the management and operation of the service.

Updated 16 August 2017

The inspection took place on 27 June and 19 July 2017 and was unannounced. This meant the provider and staff did not know we were going to visit.

We last inspected this service in June 2015, when it was found to be complying with all the regulations and we rated the service as ‘Good.’.

Dinnington is a small residential care home for two adults with mild learning disabilities. Two people were living there at the time of this inspection who did not require assistance with their personal care but did need support to manage a specific health condition. We discussed with the manager the current registration of the service and heard how they were looking at whether the service could be run as independent supported living accommodation.

The service had a registered manager who had been in post since 2012. 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. The manager was registered manager for another two of the provider's services, namely a care homes and a domiciliary care agency so spent their time between these services.

People told us they felt safe and protected in the service. They said they were well looked after by the staff. Any risks they might encounter in their daily lives were assessed by the staff and actions were taken to minimise any harm to them. Staff had been trained in safeguarding issues and knew how to recognise and report any abuse.

People’s medicines were managed safely.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs in a timely way, and to support people to have a good quality of life. Any new staff were carefully checked to make sure they were suitable for working with vulnerable people.

There was an established and experienced staff team who had a good knowledge of people’s needs and preferences. They were given support by means of regular training, supervision and appraisal.

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. Staff had been trained in this area and were aware of their responsibilities regarding protecting people’s rights. However the manager needed to ensure when ‘best interests’ decisions were made a record was kept of all the people involved in making this decision.

People’s specialist dietary needs were fully understood and they were supported to have a healthy and enjoyable diet.

People’s health needs were regularly assessed and managed. Staff responded promptly to any changes in a person’s health or general demeanour.

People told us they were well cared for and were happy and contented in the service. They told us staff treated them respectfully and protected their privacy and dignity at all times.

People felt involved in their care and support. They said they were encouraged to make choices about their lives and to be as independent as possible.

Clear, person-centred support plans were in place to meet people’s assessed needs. These plans incorporated people’s wishes and preferences about how their support was to be given.

People enjoyed active social lives and were supported to use the full range of community resources.

People told us they had no complaints about their care, but would feel able to share any concerns they had with their support workers.

Systems were in place for auditing the quality of the service and for making improvements.