Archived: Darley Cottage

Updated 8 April 2020

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

This inspection as carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Darley Cottage is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. They were on a period of extended leave. This meant that the provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection and we sought feedback from the local authority. 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 four people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the manager who currently had oversight of the service and one visiting healthcare professional. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and two people’s medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to staff support and a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 8 April 2020

About the service

Darley Cottage is a residential care home providing personal care for six people who have a learning disability and or autism. The home is in one adapted building, with facilities for a member of staff to stay overnight.

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 receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

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

There was a very positive, inclusive and person-centred culture at the home. Most people had lived at the home for a very long time; and they had benefitted from a very stable staff team that had supported them to achieve positive outcomes. The staff team cared about people and were very knowledgeable about their support needs; while remaining inquisitive and keen to learn. Feedback from staff was that they felt well supported in their roles.

In their speech and actions, staff treated people with respect and kindness. They provided people with individualised support that enabled them to be as independent as possible. People’s feedback reflected this. Their comments included; “I like living here”, “I like it here; I get up when I want, and I have my own routine” and “This home is very relaxed.”

Staff supported people to be as safe as possible. There were systems in place that had been effective in helping staff to identify risks in people’s support and day to day lives, whilst respecting their freedom and choice. People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse.

People were supported to make their own decisions, staff respected these and promoted people making decisions as much as possible. Staff listened to people, didn’t interrupt them and enabled them to take the lead. This was done in a respectful, enabling and everyday manner.

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.

Planning and documenting people’s care was done in a very respectful and creative manner. Each person’s plan was personalised, completed in partnership with them and contained key information that was meaningful to the person.

Staff made best use of any opportunities for learning. For example, records of any accidents and incidents were detailed, including even minor events and near misses to increase the opportunities for learning and improving. Alongside this the provider had an effective series of audits on the safety and quality of the care being provided.

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’s privacy and dignity was respected. Darley cottage was designed and maintained to have a homely feel and to blend into the neighbourhood. People were supported to be as independent as possible, in a natural and everyday manner in an unrestrictive environment.

For most specific and significant decisions, the principles of the MCA had been applied. Documents showed how people had been supported to make their own decisions as much as possible; and if they were unable how the decision made was in the person’s best interests.

We have made recommendations that the provider review the staffing rota and documenting how people had been supported to make key decisions.

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 20 July 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 re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.