The Devonshire Also known as 1- 3883899011

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

People knew how to raise concerns and were confident these would be taken seriously. People had opportunities to give feedback about the service and ideas for improvements, for example at residents’ and relatives’ meetings.

People had access to care and treatment when they needed it. Staff worked effectively with other professionals to ensure people received coordinated care.

People received person-centred care in line with their wishes and preferences, and had access to activities they enjoyed.

People were supported to make informed choices about their support and plan their future care while they had the capacity to do so.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

One of the concerns raised in July 2024 related to staff knowledge and training in relation to dementia and supporting people with complex needs. In response to this concern, the provider had delivered additional dementia training for staff and appointed two dementia ambassadors, who had received training from the provider's head of dementia.

Relatives told us the person-centred care staff provided had resulted in positive outcomes for their family members. One relative said, “The care [family member] receives has made [them] so stable; it is very well-suited to [family member’s] needs.”

Relatives told us they were involved and consulted when their family members’ support plans were being developed. They said support plans were reviewed regularly to ensure they continued to reflect their family members’ needs. One relative told us, “I attended the meetings where the care plan was established. And it does get reviewed; we go through all the necessary things.”

The regional director told us the dementia ambassadors’ role was to support staff to develop their skills in supporting people living with dementia and to understand their lived experience.

Staff said the training they attended had improved their knowledge of dementia and how to support people living with the condition. One member of staff told us, “The training gave me confidence in my knowledge [of dementia] and helped me understand the person better.”

We observed the dementia ambassadors supporting staff to enhance the experience of people living with dementia.

One of the concerns raised in July 2024 was that people were not supported to take part in activities. Relatives told us activities provision had improved and that their family members were encouraged to take part. One relative said, “There are lots of activities here and good stimulation. They always make a big fuss on birthdays and special days. Someone spends time with [family member] if [they are] in [their] room. Staff pop in to check on [family member] throughout the day.” Another relative told us, “On Ascot Ladies’ Day this year, they were dressed in hats and given afternoon tea. [Family member] was so happy; they bought Ascot to [them].”

The registered manager told us staff worked with a range of healthcare professionals to ensure people received coordinated care. The registered manager said, "We work closely with the care home support team. We can get access to palliative care nurses, tissue viability nurses, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists.” The registered manager said the provider was in the process of recruiting an occupational therapist to be permanently based at the service.

We did not receive any feedback from partners about this topic.

The staffing rota included five lifestyle coordinators on duty each day from Monday to Friday and three lifestyle coordinators on duty at weekends. The lifestyle coordinators planned a programme of activities and outings which was made available to everyone at the home.

People had access to information in ways they could understand. Relatives told us staff communicated well with them about their family members’ health and wellbeing. One relative said, “There is always good communication, there is a dialogue with us.” Another relative told us, “I get a weekly call, they call it a ‘check-in’ call. When [family member] had a fall, we were informed straightaway and we got a full explanation.”

Staff understood the importance of taking people’s individual communication needs into account when providing them with information about their care and treatment.

The provider complied with the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) to ensure people could access information and communicate with health and care services when they needed to. Compliance with the AIS meant people’s communication needs were identified, recorded, flagged, and action taken to ensure they were met.

People knew how to raise concerns and were confident these would be taken seriously. Relatives told us any low levels concerns they raised had been addressed. One relative said, “You might have a niggle every now and again, but I speak to someone about it, and usually the reaction is very good.” Another relative said, “We have not had any complaints. We did say about not wanting a male for personal care and that has been sorted.”

Staff told us keeping relatives informed about their family members’ wellbeing was an important part of their role. One member of staff said, “We keep in touch with families. We call them every week to update them about any appointments, any changes in medication, how [their family members] are doing.”

Residents’ and relatives’ meetings provided opportunities for people to give feedback about the service and ideas for improvements. The provider’s complaints procedure set out how any complaints received would be managed.

Relatives told us staff ensured their family members had access to care and treatment when they needed it. They said staff at the home worked well with healthcare professionals involved in their family members’ care and kept them informed about their family members’ wellbeing. One relative told us, “[Family member] has seen the GP and been referred to the hospital. It seems to be a three-pronged approach with the nurses at the home.” Another relative said, “They will ring me up and say, ‘We have noticed this or that and we are going to call the doctor’; they let me know every step of the way.”

Managers and staff told us they had attended equality and diversity training and understood that discrimination and inequality could disadvantage some people in accessing care, treatment and support. Managers and staff recognised the importance of ensuring people did not experience disadvantage in accessing the care they needed.

We did not receive any feedback from partners about this topic.

The provider’s processes ensure people were supported to access care and support when they needed it and in a way that worked for them.

People said staff supported them to see a healthcare professional if they felt unwell. They told us they had not experienced any barriers to accessing the care and treatment they needed.

The registered manager told us staff had completed refresher training in the use of the RESTORE2 tool to ensure any deterioration in people’s condition was identified and appropriate healthcare professional input obtained. RESTORE2 is a physical deterioration/escalation tool for care/nursing homes based on nationally-recognised methodologies.

There were procedures in place regarding equality and diversity. Staff were supported to understand these and to ensure people did not face barriers to accessing care and treatment. People's diverse needs were recorded in their care plans, including any specific requirements they had.

People were supported to make informed choices about their support and plan their future care while they had the capacity to do so. When people wanted to express their wishes about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), they were supported to do so and were able to change their mind if they wished.

Staff understood the importance of providing person-centred care in line with individual wishes, preferences and cultural needs when people approached the end of their lives.

People were given the opportunity to discuss their wishes regarding end-of-life care and these were recorded in their care plans. If people chose not to discuss this aspect of their care, this decision was respected and recorded.