Elcombe House

Updated 1 March 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 15 February 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 1 March 2022

About the service

Elcombe House is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 22 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 23 people. The service had been designed to support people living with dementia or physical disabilities. People had their own bedrooms and shared communal areas such as a dining room, a lounge, bathrooms and a garden.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Without exception, people and their relatives told us they received exemplary support at Elcombe House. One person told us, ‘‘It is fantastic here. The staff are so wonderful and [support] could not be better.’’ A relative said, ‘‘I do not have the words to explain Elcombe House. They are exemplary in every area and exceed all expectations.’’

Everyone told us how dedicated, caring and supportive the staff team were and the positive impact these caring relationships had upon them. Staff had a passion for their job roles and this was reflected in the support which they gave to people. There was an extremely positive atmosphere at the service which promoted compassion and care. Staff had developed meaningful relationships with people and treated them with kindness and respect. Promoting people’s dignity, privacy and independence was a top priority for all staff members.

People received incredibly personalised care because of the effort made to get to know them as individuals and to support them in line with their preferences. The management and staff team were exceptionally responsive to people’s changing needs to ensure that they were able to stay in control of their lives and make choices about their support. People took part in a wide range of stimulating activities depending on their likes and dislikes. People were encouraged to speak about any concerns and these were used to improve the service where this was necessary.

The registered manager and staff team worked hard to ensure that people received high quality, effective care and achieved good outcomes. Best practice and innovations were used to improve people’s quality of life and well-being. The impact this had for people was clear to see. The number of falls for people who were at risk had reduced, people at risk of malnutrition had put on weight and were eating well and people did not have any pressure sores.

Staff training was very successful at giving staff the skills to understand and support people effectively. Promoting a healthy diet was a key value at the service and people were well supported in this area. Collaborative working with health agencies was central to people’s support and the outcomes they achieved.

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 kept safe from harm and abuse by systems in place at the service and risks to people had been thoroughly assessed. There were enough staff to support people safely and staff were recruited safely. People were well supported with their medicines and the service was clean as good infection control measures were implemented.

There was a positive, open and inclusive culture and atmosphere at the service. Staff were supported to be involved in the running of the service to achieve good outcomes for people. People living at Elcombe House benefitted from management and staff sharing a strong set of values which put people at the centre of their care.

Robust quality monitoring was used to identify areas for improvements and take actions to continually improve people’s experiences. People, relatives and the staff team were encouraged and enabled to work together to feedback about and shape the direction of the service.

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 11 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.