Archived: The Elms

Updated 12 April 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type:

The Elms is a care home registered to provide accommodation and personal care support. It is also registered to provide personal care and support to people living in their own homes.

The service had two managers 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:

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small and the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care, people also had their own commitments during the day. We needed to be sure they would be in.

What we did:

The provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). 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.

The inspection started on the 13 March 2019 and ended on 14 March 2019. We spoke to staff on the 13th March 2019 and visited the location on the 14 March 2019. During our inspection we spoke with one person living at The Elms, three people in receipt of personal care living in their own homes, one friend, two registered managers, the compliance manager, a human resources manager, one team leader and three carers.

We reviewed information we had received about the service. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse; feedback from the local authority, professionals working with the service and the clinical commissioning group (CCG). We used this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection we reviewed:

Three people's care records, four staff recruitment files and documents relating to the management of the service such as policies, audits, meeting minutes and safeguarding records.

Some people living at the Elms had limited communication abilities, we therefore spent time observing interactions between them and the staff.

Updated 12 April 2019

About the service:

The Elms is registered to provide accommodation and personal care support for up to three younger and older adults with a learning disability, autistic spectrum disorder, physical disability, dementia and sensory impairment. Three people were living at The Elms, three people received the regulated activity of personal care.

The Elms also provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes, so that they can live as independently as possible. At the time of the inspection eight people were being supported with the regulated activity of personal care.

People’s experience of using this service:

• The service worked within the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensured that people could live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control over their own lives, choice, and independence.

• People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

• People were empowered to achieve their hopes and dreams by staff that were kind and caring and enjoyed spending time in their company.

• Staff promoted people’s independence. People living at the Elms and in their own homes were supported to lead fulfilled lives.

• People and their relatives were involved in reviewing care delivery to ensure it was meeting people’s individual needs.

• Regular keyworker reviews enabled people to discuss what was working and not working for them, so they could be supported to address any issues or concerns.

• People's privacy and dignity was respected. People's diverse needs were embraced, and staff supported people to express their individuality.

• People and staff felt valued by a management team that was passionate about enabling people to achieve their hopes and dreams and to challenge discrimination.

• Staff were supported by a management team that was well-led

• People knew how to raise a complaint and felt confident these would be addressed to their satisfaction.

• People received safe care from staff that understood how to recognise and protect them from abuse. Staff had received training relevant to their role and were well supported by the management team.

Rating at last inspection:

This is the first comprehensive inspection under this registration. The service was registered on 21 March 2018.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection.

Follow up:

Going forward we will continue to monitor this service and plan to inspect in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated Good.

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