Archived: Elms House

Updated 29 November 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 28 October 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by an inspector from the Care Quality Commission.

Before the inspection, we reviewed information we held about the service in the form of statutory notifications received from the service and any safeguarding or whistleblowing incidents, which may have occurred. A statutory notification is information about important events, which the provider is required to send us by law. We also contacted the local authority and Healthwatch for any information they had, which would aid our inspection. Local authorities have responsibility for funding people who used the service and monitoring its quality. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion, which promotes the views and experiences of people who use health and social care services.

At the time of our inspection, the home was providing support for 12 people. As part of the inspection, we spent time with people in the communal areas of the home and spoke with the nine people who used the service and one visitor. We also spoke with one external health care professional who supported two people living at the home.

We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and how the home was managed. These included care records, medicine administration record (MAR) sheets, staff training, quality assurance audits and minutes from customer meetings.

The service employed 11 members of staff, which included the registered manager. As part of the inspection, we spoke with the registered manager, the home manager, one team leader and four members of care staff.

Updated 29 November 2016

This was an unannounced inspection carried out on the 28 October 2016.

Elm House is registered to provide accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care for up to 14 adults living with associated mental health problems. The home provides a step-down service from hospital for people who are ready to move on to more independent living as part of their rehabilitation program. The home is a large detached house and is situated within a residential area in Shrewsbury.

There was a registered manager in place. 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.

This service has not been previously inspected.

People told us they were safe and secure living at the home.

People were safe as staff knew how to recognise different signs of abuse and what action to take if they had any concerns.

The provider ensured staff were safe to work with people who used the service. They obtained Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and suitable references for new staff.

The provider had suitable arrangements in place to ensure people’s medicines were managed safely.

There were systems in place to ensure that risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were identified and addressed.

The provider ensured staff had a full understanding of people’s care needs and had the skills and knowledge to meet them.

People had access to healthcare professionals to make sure they received effective treatment to meet their specific needs.

People who used the service were treated with kindness and said their privacy and dignity was always respected.

People’s care and support was planned in full consultation with them. We found people received care and support, which was personalised to their wishes and responsive to their needs. Each person had support plans in place, which provided guidance for staff about how best to meet each person’s needs.

Staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported, which enabled them to provide a personalised and responsive service.

People were enabled to carry out person centred activities at the home or in the community.

The provider had systems in place to routinely listen to people’s experiences, concerns and complaints.

There were systems in place to continually monitor the quality of the service provided.

The home worked in close partnership with other agencies to ensure people were receiving the required support.