Archived: Ellens Court

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what we observed, the records we looked at and what people who used the service, their relatives and the staff told us.

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

Is the service safe?

People are treated with respect and dignity by the staff. People told us they felt safe. Safeguarding procedures are robust and staff understood how to safeguard the people they supported.

Systems were in place to make sure that managers and staff learnt from events such as accidents and incidents, complaints, concerns, whistleblowing and investigations. This reduces the risks to people and helps the service to continually improve.

The home had proper policies and procedures in relation to the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. For example, we found that one person who used the service had a Mental Capacity assessment carried out in relation to their capacity to manage their finance. The result showed that the person was unable to manage their finance and the local authority took over the management of this for the person. This means that people will be safeguarded as required.

The service was safe, clean and hygienic. Equipment was well maintained and serviced regularly therefore not putting people at unnecessary risk.

Is the service effective?

There was an advocacy service available if people needed it, this meant that when required people could access additional support.

People's health and care needs were assessed with them, and they were involved in writing their plans of care. Specialist mobility and equipment needs had been identified in care plans where required.

The premises had been sensitively adapted to meet the needs of people with physical and visual impairments.

Is the service caring?

People were supported by kind and attentive staff. We saw that care workers showed patience and gave encouragement when supporting people

People who used the service, their relatives, friends and other professionals involved with the service completed an annual satisfaction survey. The result stated that people were generally happy with the service provided. We saw comments such as 'Extremely welcoming and friendly'.

People's preferences, interests, aspirations and diverse needs had been recorded and care and support had been provided in accordance with people's wishes.

Is the service responsive?

People completed a range of activities in and outside the service regularly. The home had its own minibus, which helped to keep people involved with their local community.

People knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy. For example, one person who used the service complained about high volume of television when on and we saw that the manager addressed this with the individual concerned and the outcome of meeting was recorded. One person said that they had made a complaint and were satisfied with the outcomes. We looked at how these complaints had been dealt with, and found that the responses had been open, thorough, and timely. People can therefore be assured that complaints are investigated and action is taken as necessary.

Is the service well-led?

The service has a quality assurance system, records seen by us showed that identified shortfalls were addressed promptly. As a result the quality of the service was continuingly improving.

Staff told us they were clear about their roles and responsibilities. Staff had a good understanding of the ethos of the home and quality assurance processes were in place. This helped to ensure that people received a good quality service at all times.

We observed that the care provided matched the assessments that were recorded within people's support plans. One person who used the service told us, 'Staff supports me very well and I am happy about this'.

People were supported and educated by staff to eat a balanced healthy diet, without compromising their choices and preferences. Meals and mealtimes were flexible each day and were dependent on personal preferences and daily routines.

We saw that the home was clean and tidy, and there were records to show that regular cleaning was carried out.

Staff obtained further relevant qualifications because they received appropriate professional development.

All the records we saw were stored securely and were easily accessible for staff when they were required. All the staff we spoke with knew where the records were kept and their responsibilities for maintaining them.

People spoke very positively about their experiences at the home, with comments such as:

'I like it here.'

'I go to the cinema alone.'

People liked the staff at Ellens Court. They said they were able to go out when they wished as staff supported their needs and preferences.