Elmcroft Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last inspection we rated this key question requires improvement. At this inspection the rating has changed to good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

At our last inspection the provider was in breach of the of legal regulations in relation to person-centred care. Improvements were found at this inspection, and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation.

This service scored 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider treated people with kindness and compassion. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. During the inspection, we received consistently positive feedback from people and their relatives regarding the kindness of staff. Comments included, “[Staff are] very kind and caring to [person]. Attentive, respectful and engaging” and [Staff are] very lovely, kind, funny and supportive.” During the site visit we observed positive and supportive interactions and staff demonstrated a kind and caring attitude to the people they supported.

However, we found improvements were needed in the language staff used to describe people when they were experiencing emotional distress. Terms used within people’s care plans, daily care records and incident reports were not always respectful or dignified. They did not always demonstrate an empathetic approach to understanding the person’s needs or what they were trying to communicate.

The management team told us they were aware there was an issue with the language used in people’s care records not always being respectful and dignified. They told us they were addressing this via training, supervision and staff meetings. However, at the time of the inspection, improvements were not yet embedded and language did not always reflect dignified and respectful care.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care and support met their needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People told us staff knew about their likes and dislikes. People’s relatives told us staff understood how to engage and encourage people in line with their individual needs when providing support. Comments included, “They know when [person] doesn’t want to leave their room and when they would like to go to bed”, They know that [person] is very independent and needs that” and “They know [person] well and have a joke with them and get them to laugh.”

The provider promoted people’s independence. People knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, support and wellbeing. People’s care plans provided guidance about what they were able to do for themselves and what areas they required support with. We observed staff supporting people in a way which promoted their independence. One relative told us, “They support [person] to make decisions and choices and [person] seems to have a lot of independence and the support when they need it”. Another relative said, “[Person] chooses what to wear and can choose everything, staff say it is [person’s] home and they are enabled to choose what to do.”

The provider listened to and understood people’s views and wishes and we observed staff responding promptly to people’s requests for support. People and their relatives told us staff were quick to answer call bells and this minimised the risk of people experiencing discomfort or distress. Comments included, “Staff help as quickly as possible”, “Staff are always available and pop in all the time” and “I have seen staff coming and assisting and supporting people when needed.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to deliver person-centred care. Staff spoke positively about the management team and the improvements in staff morale and wellbeing since the last inspection. Staff told us they felt well supported and valued in their roles. Comments included, “The management team has an open door policy and always listen to concerns and are very eager and happy to help” and “Our management is lovely, they are easily approachable and they take time to ask how we are feeling. I am happy with what Elmcroft has become now, there are lots of improvements.”