CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Dalby Court Residential Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found that risks were assessed and updated when people's needs changed. Medicines, staffing, recruitment, safeguarding and infection control were managed safely.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had suitable training and support. People were offered a balanced diet, and staff acted promptly when people's health or care needs changed.
- Caring?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found an open culture, supportive management and regular audits. Feedback from people, relatives and staff was gathered and used to make improvements.
What inspectors found, December 2023
Dalby Court Residential Care Home is rated Good; inspectors found safe, effective and well-managed care, with no evidence of harm from the concerns that prompted the inspection.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 25 October 2023. Inspectors checked Safe, Effective and Well-led. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and professionals, observed care, and examined care records, medicine records, staff files and quality checks.
The home was rated Good for all three areas inspected. People said they felt safe. Inspectors found safe medicine processes, suitable staffing, updated risk assessments, trained staff and good infection control. People were supported with food, drinks and access to health professionals.
The inspection was prompted by concerns about care needs, staff training and infection control. Inspectors found no evidence that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Caring and Responsive were not inspected during this visit, so the previous ratings for those areas were carried forward into the overall rating.
People felt safe
People told inspectors they felt safe. Staff had safeguarding training and there were processes to report and investigate concerns.
“People were safeguarded from abuse and avoidable harm.” from the report
Safe medicines and staffing
Medicines were stored, recorded and given safely. Inspectors also found safe recruitment and enough staff on duty.
“Medicines were stored, recorded and administered safely and thorough records were in place.” from the report
Food and health support
People had a choice of meals and snacks. Staff monitored weight and fluids where needed and contacted health professionals when people's needs changed.
“There was a wide variety of meals on offer which included any special requests people had made.” from the report
Open management
Inspectors found a supportive management team and regular checks to identify and address problems. People, relatives and staff were asked for their views.
“A regular program of audits and analysis was completed to monitor and improve the service.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What changes have been completed, and what remains to be done, in the dementia unit refurbishment?
- 02How do you monitor and respond when someone is at risk of weight loss or poor fluid intake?
- 03How do you make sure care plans and risk assessments are updated when a person's needs change?
- 04How do you check that agency staff have completed the required induction and training?
- 05What feedback have people and relatives recently given about the caring and responsive aspects of the service?
This was a focused inspection of Safe, Effective and Well-led only; Caring and Responsive were not inspected and their previous ratings were carried forward into the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 December 2023 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, August 2022
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some mixed feedback about staffing and a small PPE issue.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 25 July 2022. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives and staff. They observed care, toured the building and checked care, medicines, staff and quality records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that people felt safe, medicines were managed properly, staff were trained and people's health needs were monitored.
People were treated with dignity and respect. Care plans included people's preferences, and people were involved in decisions about their care. The home had systems for complaints, learning from incidents and checking the quality of care.
There was some mixed feedback about staffing, especially at weekends. Inspectors also saw some staff not following PPE guidance, but the manager dealt with this immediately.
Safe medicines practice
Medicines were stored, given and recorded safely. Staff had medicine training and their competence was checked.
“Staff had received medicine training and had their competencies in medicine management assessed.” from the report
Person-centred care
Care plans recorded people's likes, dislikes and preferences, and were reviewed regularly.
“People's care plans contained person-centred information relating to their likes, dislikes and preferences.” from the report
Kind relationships
People and relatives said staff were kind, respectful and compassionate. Inspectors also observed positive conversations between staff and people.
“Positive, caring relationships had been developed. People were confident in approaching staff and we observed laughter and general chats between people and staff.” from the report
Quality checks
Regular audits were used to find concerns or shortfalls, and action was taken when problems were identified.
“Effective quality assurance processes used to monitor the quality and safety of the service were in place.” from the report
Mixed views about staffing
minorSome people and relatives said there had been staffing problems or that there were not always enough staff, particularly at weekends. Inspectors said people's care needs had been met.
“We received mixed feedback from people and relatives with regards to staffing levels.” from the report
PPE guidance
minorInspectors saw some staff not following PPE guidance. The manager addressed this straight away.
“We observed some staff not following PPE guidance. The registered manager addressed this immediately.” from the report
- 01How many staff are normally on duty at weekends, and how do you respond if staffing levels fall?
- 02What checks now make sure all staff follow PPE guidance?
- 03How often will you review my relative's care plan and their likes, dislikes and preferences?
- 04How will you involve my relative and family in decisions about care and support?
- 05How can we raise a concern, and how will you keep us informed about the response?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions; it was described as the first inspection of the newly registered service, with the previous provider's Good rating published on 14 August 2019. This explanation was written from the published report of 20 August 2022 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Dalby Court Residential Care Home
5 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- December 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Dalby Court Residential Care Home →
- August 2022GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Dalby Court Residential Care Home →
- February 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- August 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2018Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2016GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 20 July 2020.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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35 live-in carers within about an hour of Middlesbrough
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £980 to £1,230 a week. 31 can care for a couple. 9 years' experience on average.
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“Petty introduced herself to Mum every time she was caring for her and responded very quickly to Mum if she was distressed in the night.”
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