Elton House Care Home

Updated 8 November 2019

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.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors 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.

Service and service type

Elton House 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 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.

This inspection was unannounced. We visited Elton House on 07 August 2019. On 21 August 2019 the registered manager provided us with further information we requested. We spoke with two further relatives and health professionals on 12 September 2019 to corroborate our findings.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since their registration. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people who used the service, six of their relatives, seven staff members and the registered manager. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found, and for them to submit further evidence not available on the day of the inspection. We further looked at evidence the registered manager asked us to review in relation to activity and social inclusions and quality assurance records. We also spoke with two professionals who regularly visit the service and two people’s relatives.

Updated 8 November 2019

About the service

Elton House is a care home providing personal and nursing care to 39 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 95 people.

Elton House accommodates people across three floors. Each person has their own ‘apartment’ with a separate en-suite and kitchenette area. Each room and communal bath / shower room has separate adapted facilities. The home has a separate area specifically designed to enable people living with dementia to live as independently as possible with minimal restrictions.

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

The service provided exceptionally responsive, person-centred support to people which consistently achieved outstanding outcomes for people. Staff consistently went the extra mile to find out what people have done in the past. This enabled people to carry out person-centred activities, which enriched the quality of their lives. People were supported to maintain and develop new relationships that mattered to them and protected them from the risk of social isolation and loneliness. The registered manager used concerns to improve the service. People were supported sensitively and with compassion with end of life care, which ensured people experienced a comfortable, dignified and pain-free death.

People were protected from avoidable harm and abuse by staff. Risks to people's safety had been identified and assessed. Staff followed people's risk management plans to keep them safe. People received their prescribed medicines safely, from staff who had their competency to administer medicines assessed.

People's medicines were reviewed regularly to ensure continued administration was still required to meet their needs. Cleanliness and hygiene were maintained throughout the home, which reduced the risk of infection. Staff followed the required standards of food safety and hygiene, when preparing, serving and handling food.

People felt staff were well trained and able to support them effectively. Staff reviewed their development through regular supervision and appraisal meetings and staff felt supported by the management team. People gave mixed views about the food provided, but this met their dietary needs and preferences. A wide range of healthcare professional services were available to monitor and maintain people’s health and well-being.

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 felt staff were caring, kind and respectful when supporting them. People told us they felt their opinions mattered and they were listened to. People’s cultural and spiritual needs were encouraged and respected.

People, their relatives, staff and healthcare professionals confirmed the service was well-led. Regular audits were carried out to drive improvements. Governance systems in the service supported the high quality care people received and improvement plans continually sought ways to develop the care further.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 04 September 2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on when they registered.

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.