• Care Home
  • Care home

Elderwood Residential Home

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Westmoreland Street, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 0FB (01325) 368256

Provided and run by:
Anchor Hanover Group

Latest inspection summary

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Background to this inspection

Updated 12 November 2021

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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert 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. An inspector visited the service on 15 September and 22 October 2021. An Expert by Experience spoke with eight relatives on the telephone on 21 September 2021.

Service and service type

Elderwood residential home is a ‘care home.’ People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service.

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. 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 10 people who used the service. We spoke with 10 members of staff including the registered manager, the deputy manager, two team leaders, four care assistants, the head chef and a laundry assistant. We spoke with two health professionals who were present at the service during our visits. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff recruitment files. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed.

Overall inspection

Good

Updated 12 November 2021

About the service

Elderwood is a residential care home providing personal care to 40 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. Nursing care is not provided. The service can support up to 40 people.

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

People felt safe and secure living in the home. People and their relatives were happy with the service and had good relationships with staff members. There was a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

There were enough staff to meet people's needs. Safe recruitment procedures were followed. Medicines were managed effectively. Staff followed infection prevention and control guidelines. The premises were well maintained, clean and tidy.

Staff sought people's consent before providing care and support. 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 and relatives told us staff were kind and caring, and the standard of care was high. Relatives said staff were committed to their work and had worked tirelessly during the pandemic which deserved recognition. Professionals gave us good feedback about the service.

People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs and preferences. Staff knew people's needs well. People and relatives knew how to raise concerns. There was a range of activities for people to enjoy.

People and relatives felt the service was well managed. An effective quality assurance process was in place. People and relatives were regularly consulted about the quality of the service via meetings and surveys. Staff were involved in the ongoing development and improvement of the service through regular meetings.

There was a positive culture and ethos at the service which was driven by the management team. The registered manager led by example and actively promoted responsive care which improved people's quality of life.

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 6 February 2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated good and outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

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.