CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Dipton Manor Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found that risks were identified and managed, medicines were stored and recorded safely, staffing was sufficient, and infection control arrangements were in place.
- Effective?
- Requires improvement
- This key question was not inspected during this focused visit. Its previous rating was carried forward when calculating the overall rating.
- Caring?
- Good
- This key question was not inspected during this focused visit. Its previous rating was carried forward when calculating the overall rating.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were detailed and reviewed as people's needs changed. People were supported with activities, communication and their chosen interests.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Effective audits and action plans were in place. Inspectors found a positive culture, regular involvement of people and relatives, and active work with other professionals.
What inspectors found, December 2022
Dipton Manor Care Home is rated Good; inspectors found safe, responsive and well-led care, with clear improvements since the previous inspection.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 05 December 2022. One inspector and an Expert by Experience spoke with people, relatives and staff, toured the home, and checked care, medicines, staffing and management records.
Inspectors found that risks were assessed, medicines were managed safely, staffing levels were sufficient and recruitment checks were completed. Care plans gave staff clear information, activities were available, and people and relatives spoke positively about the staff and atmosphere.
The overall rating improved from Requires Improvement to Good. The home had previously breached regulations about risk management, medicines and governance, but inspectors found enough improvement and said it was no longer in breach.
Safer risk management
Risks had been identified and recorded, with plans to reduce them. Fire safety checks and learning from incidents had also improved.
“Thorough management plans were in place to reduce risks wherever possible.” from the report
Kind and available staff
People and relatives described staff as friendly and helpful. Inspectors found enough staff to provide safe and consistent care.
“Every single person who works here is friendly, welcoming and goes out of their way to help.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans gave staff clear guidance about people's needs and preferences. People were involved in their care planning and supported to make individual decisions.
“Care plans were detailed with clear information for staff to follow so they could support people safely and in the way they preferred.” from the report
Activities and relationships
People were supported to take part in regular group and one-to-one activities. Inspectors saw a warm and relaxed atmosphere with positive relationships.
“We observed lively activity sessions all day that people were very engaged with” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are you continuing to check that people's risk assessments and management plans remain up to date?
- 02How do you audit medicines given when needed, and how do you check staff competence?
- 03How do you make sure staffing levels remain sufficient on every shift?
- 04What evidence can you show about the Effective and Caring ratings, which were not assessed in this focused inspection?
This was a focused inspection of Safe, Responsive and Well-led only; Effective and Caring were not inspected and their previous ratings were carried forward. This explanation was written from the published report of 23 December 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.
What inspectors found, January 2020
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind care, but medicines, risk records and oversight were not consistently safe.
This was an unannounced inspection on 27 and 28 November 2019. Inspectors reviewed care and medicine records, spoke with people, a relative and staff, observed care, and checked how the home was managed.
The home provided kind and respectful care. People were happy, staff knew them well, and activities and complaints systems were in place. However, medicines were not always managed safely, risks were not always recorded or monitored, and care plans and consent records were incomplete or not personal enough.
The overall rating was Requires Improvement. Safe, Effective, Responsive and Well-led were also Requires Improvement. Caring was rated Good. The home had the same overall rating at its previous inspection, and inspectors said improvements had not been sustained.
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives spoke positively about the care. Inspectors saw staff treating people with kindness, dignity and respect.
“People were well treated by kind and caring staff.” from the report
Staff training and support
Staff received regular training, supervision and appraisals. Inspectors found that training helped staff develop the skills needed for their roles.
“Training was regularly completed to ensure staff had the knowledge and skills needed to support people.” from the report
Activities and complaints
People could take part in activities they enjoyed, including activities for people who could not leave their rooms. The complaints process was available and understood.
“People were supported to access activities they enjoyed.” from the report
Positive leadership feedback
People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the manager's approach. Feedback was collected and action was taken in response.
“People, relatives and staff said they were encouraged to give their views on the service.” from the report
Medicine safety
seriousMedicine records were not always completed correctly. Guidance for medicines given when needed was not always available or personal, and medicine patches were not always used as instructed.
“Medicines were not always managed safely, and records had not been completed correctly.” from the report
Risk information
seriousRisks linked to people's health conditions were not always recorded or monitored consistently. Inspectors said this placed people at risk of harm.
“This placed people at risk of harm.” from the report
Care plans and consent records
needs fixingSome care plans were task-focused rather than personal and were not always updated when needs changed. Consent and best-interest decisions were also not always recorded effectively.
“Care plans were not always person-centred and sometimes task-orientated.” from the report
Weak quality checks
seriousThe provider's checks did not identify or address several problems. Inspectors found there was not always a complete and up-to-date care record for each person.
“The provider's quality assurance processes had not always identified or addressed the issues we found in relation to medicine management, risk assessments, care plans or consent records.” from the report
Fire drill frequency
needs fixingFire drills had not been carried out often enough to ensure that all people and staff had taken part. The manager said this would be addressed immediately.
“We saw fire drills had not been carried out with a frequency that ensured all people and staff had participated.” from the report
- 01What has changed in the way medicines, including patches and medicines given when needed, are checked and recorded?
- 02How do you record and review risks linked to each person's health conditions?
- 03How will you make sure care plans are personal and updated promptly when people's needs change?
- 04How are consent and best-interest decisions recorded, including decisions about bed rails?
- 05What evidence can you show that quality checks now identify and fix these problems?
This was an unannounced planned inspection that assessed all five key questions and looked at both the care and the premises. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 January 2020 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 Dipton Manor Care Home
5 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- December 2022Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2020Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2018Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2013
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 13 June 2013.
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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47 live-in carers within about an hour of County Durham
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Most charge £960 to £1,210 a week. 42 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“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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