Dearnevale in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was rated outstanding for being caring, responsive and well-led following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), on 27 January 2020.
The safe and effective categories received a score of Good.
Dearnevale is a care home providing personal and nursing care to people with a range of complex needs including neurological disabilities, brain injuries, strokes and enduring mental health conditions.
The home had a tangibly happy and positive atmosphere, with laughter, compassion and kindness witnessed in every interaction. The CQC inspectors highlighted that staff were highly motivated and used positive, encouraging language, eye contact and tactile communication where needed.
Staff had been supported to gain knowledge and skills about specific diseases, such as Huntington's Disease. This equipped them to meet people's needs, with a high level of skill. The home also had strong links with a specialist Huntington's Disease nurse, who provided consistent advice and support.
The service had responded to the loss of a person in the community with sepsis, by ensuring staff had the correct skills to detect the early signs. There were information packs on all the units for staff to access if required. A professional visitor said, "The staff are very responsive to things needing to be done. If I give someone a treatment plan when I check next time things have always improved. They support the person and I see them flourish."
A professional visitor said, "Dearnevale is an excellent home and my go to home if I could have one. It never causes me any problems despite the complexity of the needs of those that they take." They went on to comment that despite the hereditary nature of certain conditions, they felt relatives would be reassured by the meaningful and happy lives people living with these conditions were supported to live at the home.
