CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Durlston House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, March 2023
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind care, but staffing, risk management and leadership problems could put people at risk.
Inspectors visited the home unannounced on four days in January 2023. They spoke with staff, relatives, professionals and one person using a communication tool. They reviewed care, medicines, staff and management records.
People were treated kindly and with dignity. The home was clean, infection control was good, and people were supported with meals, healthcare, relationships and activities.
However, there were not enough suitably trained staff. This affected commissioned support hours, limited some activities and meant rescue medicine for one person was not available because staff were not trained to give it. Risk records were sometimes out of date or conflicting, and incidents were not reviewed promptly.
The home was rated Requires Improvement overall. Safe, Effective, Responsive and Well-led were also Requires Improvement. Caring was rated Good. This was the first inspection since the home was registered.
Kind and respectful care
People appeared comfortable with staff, who were friendly, respectful and did not rush them. Relatives said people were well treated.
“We observed staff interacting with people in a friendly and respectful way. Staff responded promptly to requests for assistance and did not rush people.” from the report
Privacy and independence
Staff respected people's privacy and dignity and encouraged them to do things for themselves where possible.
“Staff encouraged people to do things for themselves where possible, to maintain their independence.” from the report
Clean and hygienic home
Inspectors found good infection prevention and control systems. The home was clean and hygienic.
“The provider had good infection prevention and control systems. Staff took appropriate action to prevent the transmission of infections.” from the report
Access to healthcare
People were supported to attend health appointments, including dental care, annual health checks and specialist clinics.
“Regular assessments were completed to ensure people had attended regular health appointments, such as dentists, annual health checks and specific health clinics.” from the report
Staffing and rescue medicine
seriousThere were not enough suitably trained staff to meet people's needs. One person's rescue medicine was not held at the home because staff were not trained to administer it.
“The lack of suitably trained staff increased the risk that the person may be harmed.” from the report
Risk records and incident reviews
seriousSome risk information conflicted or was overdue for review. Management had not reviewed incident reports promptly or recorded actions to prevent similar incidents.
“Systems in place to manage risks to people were not always effective, and records were not up to date.” from the report
People's choices and communication
needs fixingInspectors found two examples where people were restricted. Staff also did not consistently use people's assessed communication tools.
“Staff did not always work within the principles of the MCA. We identified 2 examples where staff had restricted people.” from the report
Activities limited by staffing
needs fixingPeople took part in activities, but staffing levels and staff competency limited some activities and sometimes affected people's choice.
“This meant that people did not always have a choice about the activities they did.” from the report
Overdue improvements
needs fixingThe provider's improvement plan had 20 overdue actions, including actions about risks, incidents, fire safety training and personal information.
“The provider's plan contained 20 improvement actions that were highlighted as overdue.” from the report
- 01How many staff are currently available compared with the 168 hours of 2:1 support commissioned in the four weeks before the inspection?
- 02Which staff are now trained to administer the rescue medicine, and is it currently held at the home?
- 03Have all risk assessments been reviewed and corrected where information conflicted?
- 04How are incident reports now reviewed, and how are lessons shared with staff?
- 05How are people being supported to use their communication tools and choose their activities?
This was the first inspection of the newly registered home and covered all five CQC questions, the care and premises, and infection prevention and control. This explanation was written from the published report of 2 March 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.
Every inspection of Durlston House
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has slipped, from Good to Requires improvement.
- March 2023Requires improvementcurrent ratingdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2020GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 1 December 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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