Elm Park Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence the provider met people’s needs. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 71 (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 made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs. People’s care plans were person-centred and included their preferences about they wanted to be supported. Information included details which supported people to sleep better such as total darkness or having a light on. People were supported by members of staff who knew them well and supported them in line with their individual care plans. People's rooms contained their personal items including furniture, photographs and mementos. A local health and care professional told us, “I have consistently observed positive, person-centred outcomes for people. For example, a person required support to renew their mobile phone. Members of staff used their time to assist and support [the person] in the absence of any family to implement their decisions.”

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity. There was good communication between teams of staff at shift handover meetings which supported continuity of care. A health and care professional said, “I have always been informed promptly of any significant changes affecting individuals and have been kept updated regarding actions taken by the service. The paperwork I have received has generally been of a good standard.”

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats tailored to individual needs. Information was displayed clearly throughout the care environment. There was information about planned activities, how to make complaints, and how to contact CQC if there were concerns about the quality of care and support. People’s care plans included sections on communication and how best to interact and engage with people. For example, a person living with dementia’s care plan stated they could communicate her needs but often became confused due to dementia. There was information for members of staff about how to reduce their anxiety by talking slowly and clearly with them and not to use complex language or abbreviations.

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result. There was a complaints policy in place, and this was displayed around the care home. Complaints were recorded on a monitoring form, and this detailed the nature of the complaint, action taken and lessons learnt to mitigate future occurrences. One relative told us, “I’ve never had to complain but I feel I could talk to [the registered manager].” Another relative told us, “If there was a complaint, I would talk to the registered manager. I do think they go out of their way to help.”

The provider made sure people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. People had access to outside space and garden areas which were well maintained and attractive with a good range of seating and shade. Good signage was in place to help people navigate safely around the care home. Activities co-ordinators supported people to access a range of different activities and games. One person told us, “There are all sorts [of activities]. We have ping pong where we get up in turn and go to the table. What you do is you bounce a ball and you try to get it in the cup which has got water in it.” When we asked another person what they liked to do, they said, “Dominoes, dominoes, dominoes!” A local health and care professional told us, “I visit the care home at least 3 times a week; the staff are very friendly and happy. There is always an activity taking place and the activities coordinators are very passionate about their role. They ensure everyone is included and the activities are age-specific and appropriate.”

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this. We observed members of staff were considerate of people’s protected characteristics. People and their relatives did not raise any concerns about being treated less favourably and we did not see any evidence people were experiencing inconsistent care due to their protected characteristics.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life. The community palliative care team were involved in the service and members of staff had good links with them which ensured end of life care was planned and delivered appropriately. People had care plans in place which reflected their wishes about the care they wanted at the end of their life. For example, 1 person was a member of the Church of England and had a Christian faith. They had requested for their daughters to be involved in their end-of-life care and support.