The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

Elysium Care Partnerships Limited - 185 Arabella Drive

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

185 Arabella Drive, Roehampton, London, SW15 5LH (020) 8876 6681

Provided and run by:
Elysium Care Partnerships Limited

All Inspections

21 June 2023

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence, and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

About the service

Elysium Care Partnerships Limited - 185 Arabella Drive is a ‘care home’ that provides care and support for up to 9 people. All the people who live at Arabella drive have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. There were 9 people living there at the time of the inspection.

CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right Support

People received a service that was safe for them to live and staff to work in. The quality of the service was regularly reviewed, and improvements made to ensure people’s care and support needs were met. This was in a way that was best suited to people. There were well-established working partnerships that promoted people’s participation and reduced their danger of social isolation.

Right Care

Staff were appropriately recruited, trained, and in sufficient numbers to support people to live safely, whilst enjoying their lives. Identified risks to people and staff were assessed, monitored, and reviewed. Complaints, concerns, accidents, incidents, and safeguarding issues were appropriately reported, investigated, and recorded. Trained staff safely administered people’s medicines.

Right culture

The home’s culture was positive, open, and honest with a leadership and management that was clearly identifiable and transparent. Staff were aware of and followed the provider’s vision and values which were clearly defined. Staff knew their responsibilities, accountability and were happy to take responsibility and report any concerns that might arise.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 10 August 2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to check whether the service was continuing to provide a good, rated service to people.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service remains Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Elysium Care Partnerships Limited - 185 Arabella Drive on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

9 January 2018

During a routine inspection

London Care Partnership – 185 Arabella Drive 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. The home provides care and accommodation for up to nine people with learning disabilities. It is located in the Barnes area. At the time of the inspection, the home was fully occupied. Eight people were living in single bedrooms, and one person was living in a one bedroom self-contained flat.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Outstanding.

At this inspection we found the service was Good.

There was a registered manager at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they felt safe living at Arabella Drive. Relatives told us they were very happy with how the service looked after their family members and had no concerns about their safety. Risks to people had been assessed and steps were in place to manage these so that people could live a fulfilling life in a safe environment. Positive behaviour support plans and behaviour monitoring charts were used by staff to provide the appropriate level of support. Staff records showed that support workers received training in safeguarding and proactive methods for managing behaviour that challenges.

There was a homely atmosphere at the service and it was clear from our observations that support workers had built up close relationships with people using the service. This was reflected in comments we received from relatives of people using the service and the conversations we had with staff.

Relatives told us their family member’s wishes were respected and they were offered a choice. This was reflected in our observations and also through their care planning. People had communication profiles in place which helped staff to communicate with them effectively. People were supported to maintain their independence and each person had short and long term targets to help them achieve this. The registered manager said these targets were reviewed by key workers every three months, however we found these meetings were not always taking place.

There was evidence in the care plans that decisions related to people’s care and treatment were taken in consultation with health professionals and other stakeholders in people’s best interests. All but one of the people using the service were subject to a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) where they were deprived of their liberty to ensure their safety.

People were supported to take their medicines by support workers with the appropriate training. Each person had a medicines plan with details of the medicines they were prescribed, their uses and possible side effects. Medicines guidelines were on display for staff to refer to if needed.

Relatives told us the provider managed the health care needs of their family members well. Records of correspondence and referrals from the provider to health care professionals were seen. People had support plans in place to manage their healthcare needs. We saw correspondence from healthcare professionals praising staff for the positive impact they had on people using the service.

Staff recruitment was a robust and new support workers received a thorough induction which helped them to integrate well into the service. This included training based on the Care Certificate and an opportunity to visit the home prior to confirming their employment to observe existing staff members. They were also provided with an introduction to each of the residents. Existing staff received a range of training which enabled them to support people effectively. They also had an opportunity to reflect on their work through reflective practice meetings with their supervisor.

There had been no formal complaints received and it was evident due to the open culture of the service that if people had concerns they were free to raise them. Feedback was sought from people and their relatives which was acted upon.

Relatives told us the service was very well led and they praised the open culture of the service. Staff told us they really enjoyed working at the service and felt valued by the management team.

The provider demonstrated its commitment to ensuring they were a good employer and striving for excellence through accreditation from Investors in People (IIP). It continued its practice of internal promotion through its management academy which identified ‘top talent’ within the company. It had also maintained their autism accreditation by the National Autistic Society. In order to achieve and retain accreditation, the provider demonstrated its expertise in the understanding of autism.

Quality assurance and governance systems were effective and used to drive improvement. A Quality Action Group (QAG) chaired by the provider’s quality of life lead and attended by the registered managers and team leaders met every two months.

24 February 2015 & 26 February 2015

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on the 24 and 26 February 2015. The first day of the inspection was unannounced; we told the provider we would be returning for a second day. The service met the regulations at the previous inspection which took place in October 2013.

The home provides care and accommodation for up to nine people with learning disabilities. It is located in the Barnes area. At the time of the inspection, the home was fully occupied. Eight people were living in single bedrooms, and one person was living in a one bedroom self-contained flat.

There was a registered manager at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People using the service, their relatives and health and social care professionals told us that people were kept safe within the service. We found staff members were aware of what steps they would take if they had concerns about people’s safety and we saw that they followed clear guidance on what steps to take if an incident or accident occurred at the service.

Although some people displayed behaviour that challenged the service, the provider took proactive steps to understand the possible causes of this and implemented methods to manage these behaviours. These methods included the use of a behaviour analyst and nationally recognised techniques recognised and accredited by the British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD). The provider used individual, tailor made behaviour support plans to support people, in addition to consultations with specialists and staff training to enhance the support given to people when they behaved in a way that challenged the service. Staff members showed an excellent understanding of possible causes of behaviours, how they would manage them and try and reduce them from occurring in future.

Relatives of people using the service told us they were really impressed with how the staff supported people in all aspects of their daily lives, including managing their healthcare needs and accessing activities. People received their medicines safely and received ongoing health care support. The service utilised specialists such as physiotherapists, behaviour analysts and speech and language therapists within the organisation to ensure that people who needed extra support were provided it quickly. Staff members who were assigned as key workers to people worked closely with them to achieve goals in relation to their daily living skills.

Staff members went through robust recruitment procedures. They were required to spend some time during the recruitment process at the service to get an understanding of the working environment and the needs of people living there. The provider had created an environment where the staff felt happy and passionate about working there. They received ongoing support and were given both training opportunities and opportunities to progress within the organisation to more senior roles.

Staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), and they demonstrated a good understanding of the act and its application. Where people did not have the capacity to make decisions about their care, meetings were held with people, their relatives, and health and social care professionals to help ensure that any decisions were made in the best interests of people using the service.

Relatives and healthcare professionals praised the way the service was managed. The registered manager knew the service extremely well having been promoted from a team leader position. She was well respected by the staff team and relatives told us she was always available to them. Staff were given responsibilities in their roles which meant they felt empowered and like valued members of the team.

Quality assurance was integral to monitoring the way service was run. Feedback was sought from people in a manner that was accessible to them and relatives and professionals were also asked to provide feedback. Quality assurance audits were completed by both the registered manager and at regional level. Action plans were developed from these audits and assigned for follow up. Feedback from healthcare professionals, both when we spoke with them and when reviewing their comments was really positive and praised the way that people were supported. Feedback from Healthwatch, the national consumer champion in health and care was similarly positive.

The provider had achieved autism accreditation with the National Autistic Society. It showed its commitment to providing an outstanding service by setting up an action group to help promote learning and good practice when supporting people on the autism spectrum.

18 October 2013

During a routine inspection

When we visited people told us they liked living at 'Arabella Drive', staff treated them well and they had plenty of activities to do. "I've got a job at 'Stepping on out', I make cards, it's a charity do you need to buy any for Christmas", "I'm going for a drive later" and "The staff are really nice and I've got a lot of friends here".

They decided on the activities they wanted to do, the type of care and support they received and when and how it was provided. "I go for walks". "I'm watching my friend play football in Wandsworth tonight".

They did not tell us if they thought there were enough staff but they did say that they liked the staff and way they worked.

They also told us they were asked what they thought about the home and how it was run.

They didn't tell us about the complaints procedure. One person said any problems were sorted out by the staff and manager.

A relative said "I'm really happy, love the home and staff, if I want anything I can always talk to someone. It's important to have young staff with young clients".

We saw that people were treated with dignity and respect during our visit. They were supported to make decisions and their opinions sought in a patient, relaxed and friendly manner.

The records we saw were up to date, well-kept and easy to follow.

The home was clean, tidy, well maintained, equipped and fit for purpose.

There was a complaints policy and procedure that was easy for people to understand and access.

There were suitable numbers of well qualified and competent staff to give good quality, care and support.

12 October 2012

During a routine inspection

During our visit people told us "I enjoy living here", "I've got my own flat", "I meet my friend for lunch in Kingston" and "Staff are very nice". People told us and we saw that staff treated people with respect and dignity. People were supported and encouraged to make their own decisions and choices, including activities they wanted to do and those that helped improve their life skills if they wished. People felt safe and protected by caring, competent and professional staff. The staff were friendly, supportive and there were enough of them to meet peoples needs well. People liked the way staff spoke and interacted with them and everyone spent a lot of time laughing, joking and smiling.

11 February 2011

During a routine inspection

Staff conveyed a good understanding of peoples' individual needs and of their preferences in relation to the support they require.

We observed the staff interacting respectfully with the people who use the service and supporting them to make choices about what they wanted to do.

The environment of the home was well maintained, and the atmosphere calm and relaxed.