Don Thomson House Residential Care Home

Don Thomson House accommodates a maximum of 28 older people, including people who live with dementia or a dementia related condition, in one purpose built building in its own grounds. Don Thomson House is a large detached property situated in a residential area of Dovercourt, Harwich and is close to all amenities and the seafront. The premises is set out on two floors with each person using the service having their own individual bedroom and adequate communal facilities are available for people to make use of within the service. At the time of our inspection, 25 people were using the service.

At the last inspection on 29 September 2015, the service was rated 'Good'. At this inspection, we found the service remained 'Good'.

A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Staff were clear about their role on protecting people from the risk of harm and understood their responsibilities to raise concerns. Individual risks to people and environmental risks were identified and minimised to maintain people's safety.

Systems were in place to prevent and control the risk of infection.

People were protected against the risk of abuse, as checks were made to confirm staff were of good character, and there were sufficient staff available to support them. The skill mix of staff ensured people's needs were met.

Medicines were managed safely and people were supported as needed to take their medicine as prescribed and access healthcare services.

People were consulted regarding their preferences and interests and these were incorporated into their care plan to promote individualised care. The staff team knew people well and were provided with the right training and support to enable them to meet people's needs.

People were supported with their dietary needs and to access healthcare services to maintain good health.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff understood the importance of gaining people's consent regarding the support they received. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were supported to develop and maintain interests and be part of the local community. The registered manager actively sought and included people and their representatives in the planning of care.

There were processes in place for people to raise any complaints and express their views and opinions about the service provided. A positive culture was in place that promoted good outcomes for people. People and their relatives were involved in developing the service; which promoted an open and inclusive culture.

The provider, registered manager and staff understood their legal responsibilities and kept up to date with relevant changes. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service to enable the registered manager and provider to drive improvement.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found