Dale Mount

Dale Mount is a 'care home' for up to 13 older people or people living with dementia. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

There were 13 people living at the service at the time of our inspection. The service was set on a large site together with Dale Lodge which is another care service run by the provider.

At our last inspection on 6 February 2017 we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained 'Good'.

A registered manager continued to be employed at 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.

There continued to be sufficient numbers of staff who had the skills and knowledge they needed to support people living at the service. Staff were appropriately supervised. New staff had been recruited safely and pre- employment checks had been carried out.

People continued to be protected from abuse. Staff understood how to identify and report concerns. Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines when they needed them. Risks were assessed and there were actions in place to minimise risk and keep people safe.

Peoples' care met their needs. Care plans continued to accurately reflect people's needs and included information on their religious, sexuality and cultural needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. Staff were aware of people's decisions and respected their choices.

The service continued to support people to maintain their health and wellbeing. People confirmed that they had access to healthcare services. People were supported to maintain their weight and received appropriate support with staying hydrated.

People were treated with respect, kindness and compassion. People's privacy was respected and they were supported to lead dignified lives. People were supported to maintain their independence. People were encouraged to express their views and were listened to. There were systems in place to seek feedback from people, relatives and community professionals to improve the service and feedback was listened to.

The service was clean and the environment pleasant and welcoming. The environment had been adapted to meet people's individual needs. Staff were aware of infection control and the appropriate actions had been taken to protect people.

Staff, relatives and community health and social care professionals told us the service was well-led. The service was regularly audited to identify where improvements were needed and actions were taken.

Staff understood their responsibilities to raise concerns and incidents were recorded, investigated and acted upon. Lessons learnt were shared and trends were analysed. The service worked in partnership with other agencies to develop and share best practice.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found