CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Darwin Place
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Risks were assessed and managed, including risks linked to activities, travel and behaviour. Inspectors also found safe medicine systems, suitable staffing, safe recruitment and infection control procedures.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed before admission and staff had the training and skills to support them. Health, nutrition, communication, consent and mental capacity were considered.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with dignity and respect by a kind and compassionate staff team. People were involved in decisions and supported to express their views.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's preferences, routines and goals. People were supported with activities, education, community access and relationships.
- Well-led?
- Good
- A registered manager was in post and staff understood their roles. Audits, quality visits and feedback were used to monitor and improve the service.
What inspectors found, April 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with improvements sustained since the previous inspection.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 11 April 2019. One inspector spoke with people living at the home, a relative, staff, the manager and positive behaviour support practitioners. They reviewed care and medicine records, staff training records and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that risks were managed, medicines were handled safely, staffing was adequate, and people were supported by trained staff.
People were treated with kindness and respect. Their care was personalised, they were supported to make choices, access the community and maintain relationships. The home had a registered manager and quality checks were being used to maintain improvements.
At the previous inspection in February 2018, the home was rated Requires Improvement. Inspectors said that a registered manager was now in post and that improvements had been sustained.
Safe medicines
Inspectors found that medicines were organised and administered as prescribed, with safe arrangements for receiving, storing and disposing of them.
“Medicines systems were organised and people were receiving their medicines as prescribed.” from the report
Kind staff
People appeared relaxed with staff, who were described as kind, caring and compassionate. People and relatives gave positive feedback about the support.
“People were supported by a motivated, kind, caring and compassionate staff team.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans recorded people's preferences, routines, interests and goals. People were supported to make choices, learn skills and take part in activities in the community.
“People were supported to access the community and to take part in activities and social events which they enjoyed.” from the report
Improved leadership
The home had a registered manager who knew people well. Inspectors found that improvements identified after the previous inspection had been maintained.
“At this inspection there was a registered manager in post and we found improvements had been sustained.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you support my relative to communicate choices and express concerns?
- 02How are behaviour support plans kept up to date, and how are staff trained to follow them?
- 03How will you support my relative to develop independence and take part in activities they enjoy?
- 04How will you monitor my relative's medicines, health needs and nutrition?
- 05What changes have been made since the previous inspection, and how do you check that they are being sustained?
This was a planned inspection of the care home that assessed all five CQC questions and considered both the accommodation and the care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 April 2019 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, April 2018
Requires Improvement overall; Darwin Place had improved from Inadequate, but inspectors needed more evidence that good care could be sustained.
This was an unannounced, comprehensive inspection on 14 February 2018. The inspector spoke with people living at the home, staff, the manager, a relative and a senior representative. They also checked care records, medicines, safety records and quality checks.
The home had improved significantly since August 2017. Safe, Effective, Caring and Responsive were all rated Good. Inspectors found enough trained staff, safer medicines systems, kind support, personalised care and activities based on people's interests.
The overall rating was Requires Improvement because Well-led was rated Requires Improvement. The manager had not yet registered with the CQC, and the provider needed to show that its new monitoring systems would keep working over time and when more people moved in.
The home had previously been Inadequate and placed in special measures, with admissions restricted by urgent enforcement action. It was no longer Inadequate or in special measures, and there were no breaches of regulations at this inspection.
Safer staffing
People were supported by a more consistent core team who knew them well. There were enough staff to meet assessed needs, including when people went out.
“There were sufficient staff to meet people's assessed needs in a safe way.” from the report
Medicines management
Medicines records and stock checks had improved. Staff received training and their practice was checked.
“There was a safe system for the administering medicines.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw people who appeared relaxed with staff. Privacy was better protected and the environment was more homely.
“The atmosphere was relaxed and happy.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's preferences, relationships and interests. Staff understood how people communicated and supported activities they enjoyed.
“Care plans contained information about what was important to the person, their family, and friends and how they liked to spend their day.” from the report
Support for independence
People were involved in shopping, cooking and planning meals. Staff helped people develop everyday skills and make choices.
“People were supported to develop and maintain a level of independence.” from the report
Improvements need to last
needs fixingThe provider's new quality systems had helped fix earlier problems, but inspectors had not yet seen enough evidence that they would remain effective over time or as more people moved in.
“More time is needed to demonstrate that systems are effective in continually monitoring the quality of the service and drive further improvements.” from the report
Manager registration
needs fixingThe manager in post had not yet registered with the CQC. The report says the provider needed to ensure the manager applied for registration.
“The service was well- led by a manager who was yet to registered with the Care Quality Commission.” from the report
- 01Has the manager now registered with the CQC, and if not, what is the current position?
- 02How do you check that the improvements to quality monitoring are still working?
- 03How will you assess whether a new person's needs and behaviour are compatible with the people already living here?
- 04How many permanent staff support the home now, and how often are agency staff used?
- 05How are medicines records and stock checked today, and what happens if a discrepancy is found?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions, based on the home at the time when three people were living there. This explanation was written from the published report of 4 April 2018 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 Darwin Place
4 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- April 2019Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2018Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2017Inadequatedown from GoodSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate
- October 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 24 December 2010.
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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57 live-in carers within about an hour of Shropshire
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Most charge £960 to £1,230 a week. 52 can care for a couple. 9 years' experience on average.
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