Archived: Elwin Lodge Care Home

Updated 5 August 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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 3 June 2015 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by an inspector. The service met the requirements of the regulations during the previous inspection which took place on 30 January 2014.

Before we visited the service we checked the information that we held about it, including notifications sent to us informing us of significant events that occurred at the service.

We were unable to speak with people using the service during our inspection. This was because they were both unable to communicate verbally. One person had gone out to the day centre but we observed staff caring for the other. We also spoke with four staff including the registered manager. We looked at two care records, three staff files and other records related to the management of the service including, training records, audits and complaints. We contacted health and social care professionals to ask their views about the service following the inspection.

Updated 5 August 2015

This inspection took place on 3 June 2015 and was unannounced. The service met the requirements of the regulations during the previous inspection which took place on 30 January 2014.

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.

Elwin Lodge Care Home is a small care home for two people with learning disabilities. It is located in Tooting, South-West London. It is close to local amenities and has good transport links. It is one of three homes owned by Mark A Peake.

People using the service live in separate flats in the home, both with their own bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and lounge.

People were treated with kindness and respect and were able to take part in activities both in the home and out in the community.

Effective methods were used to communicate with people using the service, who were not able to communicate verbally. Care plans identified the most appropriate techniques to communicate with them, for example the use of a communication book or by using objects of reference. Staff were familiar with these methods. We observed staff communicating with people and they did so confidently and in an engaging manner. We saw that people responded to them in a positive manner.

Where people did not have the capacity to consent to certain decisions related to their care, the service followed guidance in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Decisions were taken in people’s best interests after consultations with professionals involved in their care. Where it was deemed that people required restrictions on their liberty to keep them safe, authorisation was sought from the local authority which helped to ensure people’s rights were protected.

There was evidence that people’s behaviours were managed effectively by the service. Support guidelines were in place to support staff when people displayed behaviour that challenged the service. Staff were familiar with these techniques. The service worked closely with psychologists and psychiatrists to understand the reason for these behaviour patterns and care plans were produced to minimise behaviour that challenged from occurring in future.

People’s needs in terms of their medicines and their diet were met by the service. People told us they were able to see healthcare professionals such as their GP or consultant psychiatrist if they needed.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and they displayed an excellent understanding of the best way to support people with respect to all aspects of their lives. They demonstrated an excellent understanding of people’s medical and nutritional support needs. They received regular supervision and told us they were given responsibility as key workers for people.

Care plans and risk assessments were reviewed regularly to ensure they were still relevant to people. Audits, for example medicines, financial and health and safety were carried out as a means of quality assurance.