Background to this inspection
Updated
7 November 2019
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector and two Experts by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. One Expert by Experience visited the home to speak with people and visiting relatives. The second Expert by Experience made telephone calls to relatives to obtain their feedback.
Service and service type
Elmhurst Residential Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or 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.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
Prior to the inspection, we reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection which included notifications affecting the safety and well-being of people who used the service.
Due to technical problems, the provider was not able to complete a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with eight people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, the deputy manager, the head of care, senior care workers, care workers and night care workers. We also spoke with two visiting healthcare professionals.
We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medicine records. We looked at five staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were also reviewed.
After the inspection
We spoke with nine relatives following the inspection to obtain further feedback. We also continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.
Updated
7 November 2019
About the service
Elmhurst Residential Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to 29 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 30 people.
The care home is two houses joined together and has been adapted to meet people’s needs.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us that they felt safe living at Elmhurst Residential Home. Staff were able to describe the signs of possible abuse and the steps they would take to safeguard people from potential abuse or harm.
Risk assessments in place identified people’s risks associated with their health and care needs and gave guidance to staff on how to reduce risk and keep people safe from harm.
People received their medicines on time and as prescribed. Systems and processes in place supported this.
We observed there to be enough staff available to support people safely. Recruitment practices followed ensured suitable staff were employed to work with vulnerable adults.
Staff received appropriate training and support to enable them to support people safely and effectively.
People’s healthcare needs were monitored and appropriate support and access to a variety of health care professionals was made available where required.
People were seen to eat and drink well. People were offered choice and where people had assessed specialist dietary needs, staff knew these and supported people accordingly.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were supported by staff in a way which promoted kindness and respect. Staff knew people well and supported them in ways which were responsive to their needs.
Care plans were person centred and listed people’s needs and preferences on how they wished to be supported. Care plans were reviewed and updated regularly with any noted changes in people’s care and support needs.
People and their relatives were involved in the care planning process. The registered manager had systems in place to monitor the overall quality of care people received so that the required improvements could be made. However, these systems were informal and not always recorded.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 5 May 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.