- Care home
Dovecote Residential Care Home
Report from 22 October 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 6 to 20 December 2024. Dovecote Residential Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation for up to 61 people who are older, have physical health conditions or are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection 45 people used the service. At the last inspection we identified breaches in relation to person-centred care, medicines management, infection prevention and control, management oversight of the service and staffing issues. At this inspection improvements had been made and the service was no longer in breach of regulations. The management team had worked closely with staff to change the culture to one whereby staff always put residents at the forefront of the service. Staff were passionate about delivering good care and support. Staff ensured best practice guidance was followed. Staff regularly ran ‘sing for the brain’ sessions, which are known to assist people living with dementia retain their skills. The registered manager also employed the ‘Let’s move it’ team to provide people with the opportunity to join in physical activity. Staff had received training around providing good dementia care, so stepped in to meet people’s needs, which supported individuals to retain their communication and social skills. Assessments were completed in a timely manner and were accurate. Staff actively used these assessments to understand people’s ongoing needs. The actions staff took from these assessments had led to a very positive outcome for people and the reduction of their distress. People and relatives were very positive about how staff had supported individuals to continue to enjoy a good quality of life. The activity co-ordinators and housekeepers along with the staff team were passionate about providing a programme of events which were tailored to everyone’s tastes. Staff worked closely with people, and in very creative ways, to ensure they had balanced and nutritious diets.
People's experience of this service
Overall people were very positive about the quality of their care and support offered at the service. Everyone we spoke with told us how caring and supportive the staff were and how they worked hard to ensure people’s needs were met. One relative said, “Everyone at the home have been absolutely amazing. I can’t praise them enough.” Another relative said, “It’s a nicer atmosphere now. Things are so much better than before.” Some individuals had very limited verbal communication. We used a structured observation tool to assess whether they received good care. This approach showed people were included and listened to and staff consistently interacted positively with them. We observed staff worked with people in a sensitive, caring and considerate manner. A relative said, “[Person’s name] is not bored, there’s the bingo, memory box and exercises. There’s always something happening.” People felt safe and their dignity and human rights were fully promoted. They were encouraged to make decisions. One person said, “You can ask anything, they are great, nothing is too much trouble. I get up when I want unless there’s a reason for anything, I make all the choices and I am always asked what I want.” People and their relatives told us about the positive impact the service had had on their lives. A relative said, “They are exceptional, very, very comforting. They take the time to gradually to get to know the person and the staff are wonderful.” People told us they felt listened to and consulted around how their care and support should be provided. Relatives discussed how skilled staff were and how well they treated their loved ones. All felt staff were competent and knowledgeable. People felt able to complain and were confident action would be taken and improvements would be made. One relative said, “Do you know, I would be hard pushed to think of what they could do better. They even let me [person’s name dog in. Their eyes lit up. I got a lump in my throat.”