CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at East Dene Court
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found effective safeguarding, risk management, staffing, medicines systems and infection control. Incidents and accidents were reviewed and acted on.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not rated in this inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not rated in this inspection, although inspectors reported that staff were kind and respectful.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not rated in this inspection, although inspectors found that people were supported with their choices, activities and community access.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found a positive, person-centred culture, approachable management and regular quality checks. They noted that staff meetings could take place more often.
What inspectors found, June 2023
East Dene Court: Rated Good; inspectors found safe, respectful care and a positive culture, with some improvements needed in staffing oversight and staff meetings.
This was an announced inspection on 18 April and 10 May 2023. One inspector spoke with people, relatives and staff, reviewed records and observed care during a second visit.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe and Well-led were both rated Good. Inspectors found effective safeguarding, suitable staffing at the time of the inspection, safe medicines management and good infection control.
People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff understood people's communication needs, supported their choices and helped them take part in activities and use the community. Some staff said staffing levels had not always been right, although this had improved. Staff meetings were not held as often as they could have been.
The last rating was also Good, published in October 2017. This inspection was prompted by a review of information about the home and was not a full reassessment of all five CQC questions.
Choice and community access
People were supported to make daily choices, take part in activities they chose and access the community when they wanted.
“Staff supported people to engage in activities they chose and to access the community when they wanted.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff understood people's preferred ways of communicating and treated them with dignity.
“Staff were kind towards people and treated them with dignity and respect.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicines records were checked and staff were trained and assessed before administering medicines.
“Medicines administration records confirmed the medicines people received.” from the report
Positive management
Inspectors found a person-centred culture, approachable management and a structured system for checking quality and safety.
“The provider had a structured approach to quality assurance.” from the report
Staffing had not always been sufficient
minorSome staff said staffing levels had previously not always been appropriate, although they reported that this had improved. Management said staffing levels were being monitored.
“Some staff felt staffing levels had not always been at an appropriate level, but said this had improved.” from the report
Staff meetings were infrequent
minorThe report says the most recent staff meeting was in February 2023 and the previous one was in June 2022. Staff could still share their views with management.
“The frequency of staff meetings could be improved.” from the report
Quality visits needed closer follow-up
minorThe last provider quality assurance visit was in August 2022. A further visit was planned for May 2023.
“The provider completed periodic quality assurance visits, the last one was in August 2022.” from the report
- 01What staffing levels are in place now, and how do you check they are enough for people's care and social needs?
- 02How often are staff meetings held now, and how are staff concerns and suggestions recorded and acted on?
- 03When was the most recent provider quality assurance visit, and what improvements did it identify?
- 04How will you support my relative's preferred communication, daily choices, activities and access to the community?
- 05How are medicines checked and how are staff assessed as competent to administer them?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led; the report did not give new ratings for Effective, Caring or Responsive. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 June 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, October 2017
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with effective management and support for autistic people's needs.
Inspectors visited on 7 and 8 September 2017. They spoke with people living at the home, staff and relatives. They observed care and checked support plans, staff records, medicines and management records.
The home was clean and had enough staff to keep people safe. Medicines were managed safely. Staff had suitable checks, training and support. People received help with food, healthcare, communication and daily activities.
Inspectors saw warm and respectful relationships. People were supported to make choices, stay in touch with family and use the local community. Support plans were detailed and regularly reviewed, although some were still being updated with visual information about people's autism needs.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. It was still rated Good overall, the same as at the previous inspection on 15 January 2015.
Kind relationships
Inspectors saw staff treating people warmly, patiently and respectfully. Relatives also gave very positive feedback about the care and support.
“All interactions between staff and people were caring and respectful, with staff being patient, kind and compassionate.” from the report
Safety arrangements
The home had enough staff, completed recruitment checks and carried out checks on equipment, fire safety and the building. Medicines were stored and given safely.
“There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to keep people safe.” from the report
Understanding individual needs
Staff knew people's routines, likes, dislikes and support needs. The home used tailored communication tools and detailed positive behaviour support plans.
“They understand my relatives autistic needs really well, but they put the person first, not the autism.” from the report
Activities and independence
People were supported to take part in activities at home and in the community. They were also helped to build everyday living skills and go on holiday.
“The service was focussed on assisting people with activities of daily living and we saw everyone had a programme in place” from the report
Management and monitoring
Staff and relatives said managers were approachable and listened to them. The home used regular audits, meetings and action plans to check and improve the service.
“The management team carried out a regular audit on issues such as staffing, medication, health and safety and the environment.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01Have the visual maps of people's autism-related needs now been added to all relevant support plans?
- 02How do you maintain safe staffing levels when staff are off sick?
- 03How often will my relative's support plan be reviewed, and how will changes in their needs be recorded?
- 04What activities, community visits and opportunities to build daily living skills are currently available?
- 05How will my family be involved in healthcare decisions and decisions made in my relative's best interests?
This was a full inspection covering all five CQC questions; the report says the Good ratings remained unchanged from the previous inspection in January 2015. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 October 2017 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 East Dene Court
3 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- June 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 10 January 2011.
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
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 £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.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.