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Care Services

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Forder Lane House, Dartington, Totnes.

Forder Lane House in Dartington, Totnes is a Residential home specialising in the provision of services relating to accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care and caring for adults over 65 yrs. The last inspection date here was 6th September 2019

Forder Lane House is managed by South Devon Rural Housing Association Limited.

Contact Details:

Ratings:

For a guide to the ratings, click here.

Safe: Good
Effective: Good
Caring: Good
Responsive: Good
Well-Led: Good
Overall: Good

Further Details:

Important Dates:

    Last Inspection 2019-09-06
    Last Published 2017-01-24

Local Authority:

    Devon

Link to this page:

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Inspection Reports:

Click the title bar on any of the report introductions below to read the full entry. If there is a PDF icon, click it to download the full report.

7th December 2016 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

The inspection took place on 7 and 9 December 2016 and was unannounced. Forder Lane House provides care and accommodation for up to 25 older people. On the day of the inspection 22 people lived in the home. Forder Lane House is owned by South Devon Rural Housing Association Limited.

A manager was employed to manage the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they were cared for by staff who knew them well. Comments included, “Staff are really caring, really good.” Staff spoke about people with respect and compassion and had received training to meet people’s needs. Staff were supported in their role by an ongoing programme of supervision, appraisal and competency checks; they also told us they received sufficient support from senior staff whenever they needed it.

People told us they felt safe using the service. There were risk assessments in place to help reduce any risks related to people’s care and support needs. Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse and were confident any allegations would be taken seriously and investigated to help ensure people were protected.

People were kept safe by suitable staffing levels and we observed unhurried interactions between people and staff. This meant people’s needs were met in a timely manner. Recruitment practices were safe. Checks were carried out prior to staff commencing their employment to ensure they had the correct characteristics to work with vulnerable people.

People had their healthcare needs met. For example, people had their medicines as prescribed and on time. People were supported to see a range of health and social care professionals including social workers, chiropodists, district nurses and doctors.

People told us they enjoyed the food and mealtimes were a positive experience. People told us meals were of sufficient quality and quantity and there were always alternatives on offer for them to choose from. People were involved in planning the menus and their feedback on the food was sought. Where people had specific needs or wishes relating to food, these were catered for.

The registered manager and staff had attended training on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).

Staff were knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act and how this applied to their role.

People, and where appropriate, their family members, were involved in planning their care and staff sought their consent prior to providing them with assistance. People’s care plans reflected their needs and wishes and were updated regularly.

There was a positive culture within the service. The registered manager had clear values about how they wished the service to be provided and these values were shared by the whole staff team. Staff talked about providing a homely atmosphere for people and respecting people’s individual choices.

There was a management structure in the service which provided clear lines of responsibility and accountability. A registered manager was in post who had overall responsibility for the service. They were supported by other senior staff who had designated management responsibilities. People told us they knew who to speak to and any changes or concerns were dealt with swiftly and efficiently.

Feedback received by the service and outcomes from audits were used to aid learning and drive improvement across the service. The manager and staff monitored the quality of the service by regularly undertaking a range of regular audits and speaking with people to ensure they were happy with the service they received. People and their relatives told us the management team were approachable and included them in discussions about their care and the running of t

12th May 2014 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

We, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out an inspection of Forder Lane House in response to information of concern we had received about the service. The information we had received related to medicines, staffing levels, limited access to healthcare professionals, and poor management. We found that there was no evidence to support any of the allegations.

We considered our inspection findings to answer questions we always ask;

Is the service safe?

Is the service effective?

Is the service caring?

Is the service responsive?

Is the service well led?

Our inspection team was made up of two inspectors. This is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with nine people who lived in the home, five staff who supported them, two relatives, the Registered Manager, the Chief Executive, and from looking at records.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

Medication systems in use meant people had their medicines at the time they needed them and in a safe way. There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. The Registered Manager had reviewed the staffing levels and increased the number of care staff on duty during the day to ensure there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Staff told us that staffing numbers had increased. One member of staff said “A while ago we were short staffed and we felt rushed. Now we have an extra staff member, it’s a lot calmer and we have enough staff”. People who used the service and their relatives told us that staff were not rushed and had time to meet their needs. One person commented “there’s always staff about” and “I certainly feel safe here. The staff are all so obliging”. CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. The Registered Manager told us they had not needed to submit any applications. The Registered Manager and senior staff had been trained to understand when an application should be made, and how to submit one.

Is the service effective?

People who lived in the home told us they were happy with the care and support they received. Comments included "The staff couldn’t be more helpful, they are just brilliant” and “Staff always ask me if I want anything, I’ve never had it so good”. We received feedback from the Local Authority who had recently spoken with a range of healthcare professionals who visited the home. They all confirmed that they were happy with the care provided and had no concerns.

Is the service caring?

People were supported by kind and attentive staff. We saw that staff were patient and went at the person's pace when assisting them with their mobility. They explained what they were doing and why. People who used the service told us that staff were not rushed and had time to meet their needs. Our observations confirmed this. Staff responded to people's requests and people appeared to enjoy the interactions and conversations. We observed people with staff in the dining room laughing and joking. People told us "The staff here are first class” and “Staff are very good, courteous and we have a good laugh”.

Is the service responsive?

The service carried out assessments to ensure they could meet people’s needs before they moved into the home. One relative told us “the Registered Manager came into the hospital and they were very helpful, with a can do attitude. Everything was put in place. I’m very, very pleased”. People knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy. The people we spoke with told us they had not needed to make a complaint. They were confident that any issues would be addressed to their satisfaction.

Is the service well-led?

People who lived in the home told us they were asked about the quality of the service. People told us that their comments were listened to and acted upon. People and their relatives told us "You can talk to the manager about anything and they will put things right straight away”; “no concerns at all, I’m very happy” and “I can’t think of anything that could be better”. Staff told us they had regular contact with the Registered Manager. Staff commented "I’m very happy at the moment”; “If you have a problem you can speak to management and it gets sorted straight away” and “The manager is always here and is always approachable”. Staff told us that there had been a number of changes in the past year. Staff members commented “Record keeping is a lot better than it used to be, a lot more structured” and “Things are really improving”. This helped to ensure that people received a good quality service at all times.

21st October 2013 - During an inspection in response to concerns pdf icon

We visited Forder Lane House to investigate allegations we had been made aware of. These included concerns raised about inappropriate behaviour by the new manager and background checks on staff employed at the home. We found that there was no evidence to support any of the allegations made.

We spoke with six people who lived at the home and with one relative. We also spoke with eight staff including the provider, the manager, two senior care workers, three care workers, a cleaner and a visiting health professional.

All of the people we spoke with were very positive about the manager of Forder Lane House. One person told us “The manager treats me with respect.” Another person said the manager “has been great”. A relative told us “I’ve got total confidence in the manager here, she acts on suggestions and takes action.”

Everyone we spoke with at Forder Lane told us that they felt safe at the home, with the manager and with the staff employed at the home.

All of the staff we spoke with were positive about the manager. One care worker told us she was “a very good, kind and friendly manager”. Another said “She is brilliant with the residents.” The provider told us “The manager is very robust and very fair.”

We looked at the manager’s staff file and three other staff files. We saw that comprehensive background checks had been made on all of these files. This meant that measures were in place to reduce the risk of unsuitable staff working with vulnerable people.

25th June 2013 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

This was a planned inspection. We also followed up on concerns from our inspection on 27 February 2013. During our previous inspection we had concerns because staff had not received appropriate training and accurate records were not being kept. On 25 June 2013 we found that the home had made improvements.

On the day of our inspection 24 people lived at Forder Lane House. We spoke with five people who lived at the home and a relative of a person who lived there. We also spoke with three care workers, the cook, the deputy manager, the manager and the Chief Executive of the provider company.

People told us that they were treated respectfully by care workers and that they were offered choices in relation to their activities at the home. One person said “I play the piano, do Tai Chi, enjoy reading or bingo.”

People who lived the home and their relatives were positive about the care delivered at Forder Lane. One person said “Forder Lane was recommended to me and I am very satisfied with it.”

We found that staff had now received mandatory training appropriate to their roles. Some care workers were also undertaking additional training.

We looked at the quality assurance systems in place to monitor the quality of care delivered. We saw that the provider monitored the service effectively and responded to feedback effectively.

We saw that accurate records were now being kept. These included care records, incidents, communication, maintenance and cleaning records.

27th February 2013 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

During our inspection, we spoke with eight people who lived in the home, two relatives, one healthcare professional, and four staff.

People told us they were happy with the care they received. Comments included “I’m perfectly happy, the staff know exactly what to do to meet my needs”; “it’s a very good home, we’re well looked after” and “when I was ill, they couldn’t do enough for me”. We spoke with care staff who were able to tell us how they met people’s care needs.

People who lived in the home told us they felt safe and staff knew what to do to meet their needs. Staff knew how to report concerns to ensure people were protected from the risk of harm. We found staff had not completed some areas of training to keep them up to date with current best practice. Staff told us they felt well supported in their job role.

The home had a quality assurance system to assess and monitor the quality of the service. People told us that their comments were listened to and acted upon. People told us "there’s nothing to grumble about” and “you can’t fault it".

We found records were not kept in a way that protected people's safety and welfare. Care plans did not contain accurate information. The plans were not written in enough detail to ensure that care staff could follow the instructions.

23rd August 2011 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

On our visit to the home we spoke with some of the people living there about the ways in which they are involved in the services they receive. We also spoke with three staff, one relative the manager and the chief executive of the provider organisation.

The people that we spoke with at Forder Lane House were positive about their lives at the home. All of the people seen during this visit were treated with respect by the staff and their right to privacy was upheld. Any personal care that was offered was done so in a discreet manner.

Routines within the home are flexible to ensure that people can choose how to spend their time. People who live at Forder Lane House are able to make decisions about their life, whilst having their rights and views respected. However, training for staff on the Mental Capacity Act would ensure that staff have the knowledge and confidence to support people in making their own choices.

While we were at the home we spoke with people about the care and support they receive. We also looked at some care records and spoke with staff to see how people’s care is planned and delivered. People that we spoke with did not know if they had a care plan. Care plans that we looked at contained very little information and did not give directions to staff on how people's care needs should be met. At present there are only a small number of people living at the home and there is a stable staff group that know people's needs well. However, when the building work is complete there will be more people living at the home and new staff, which will make the need for comprehensive care plans essential.

People told us that food provided at the home was of a high standard although one person said they would like a little more variety.

Everyone we spoke with told us that they were happy living at Forder Lane House and that they felt safe and supported at the home. One person told us they 'have no worries or concerns or anything like that'. A representative of a person that lives at the home told us they felt very lucky that their relative was at the home living there.

South Devon Rural Housing Association have recently started building work to increase the number of beds available at Forder Lane House. The house is almost entirely covered by scaffolding and some areas of the home are inaccessible to people living at the home for long periods during the day. Some people told us that they found the noise and disruption to be very distressing. However, most people told us that although they did not like the work disruption they had accepted it and looked forward to how nice the building would be on completion. People told us they had been consulted over the building works and understood that the home needed to increase in numbers if it was to remain open.

People living at Forder Lane House and their representatives told us that if they have any concerns or issues they are able to talk to staff about them. We were told that things are usually dealt with straight away.

 

 

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