Elderwood Residential Home

Elderwood is a residential care home providing personal care to 40 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. Nursing care is not provided. The service can support up to 40 people.

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

People felt safe and secure living in the home. People and their relatives were happy with the service and had good relationships with staff members. There was a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

There were enough staff to meet people's needs. Safe recruitment procedures were followed. Medicines were managed effectively. Staff followed infection prevention and control guidelines. The premises were well maintained, clean and tidy.

Staff sought people's consent before providing care and support. 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 and relatives told us staff were kind and caring, and the standard of care was high. Relatives said staff were committed to their work and had worked tirelessly during the pandemic which deserved recognition. Professionals gave us good feedback about the service.

People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs and preferences. Staff knew people's needs well. People and relatives knew how to raise concerns. There was a range of activities for people to enjoy.

People and relatives felt the service was well managed. An effective quality assurance process was in place. People and relatives were regularly consulted about the quality of the service via meetings and surveys. Staff were involved in the ongoing development and improvement of the service through regular meetings.

There was a positive culture and ethos at the service which was driven by the management team. The registered manager led by example and actively promoted responsive care which improved people's quality of life.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 6 February 2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated good and outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

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.

Elderwood Residential Home is a residential care home for 40 older people and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 36 people using the service. The service is based over two floors but is not divided into specific units. People are able to access a number of communal areas and participate in activities on both floors.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. There were systems in place to minimise the risk of infection. People were cared for safely by staff who had been recruited and employed after appropriate checks had been completed. People's needs were met by sufficient numbers of staff. Medication was stored safely and administered by staff who had received the appropriate training.

People were cared for and supported by staff who had received relevant and up to date training. The registered manager had a good understanding of their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. 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 supported to eat and drink enough as to ensure they maintained a balanced diet and referrals to other health professionals were made when required.

Staff cared for people in a kind and patient manner. Staff had a good understanding of people's preferences of care. Staff promoted people's independence by encouraging and supporting them to undertake elements of their own care and to make choices about their day to day lives. People’s privacy and dignity was maintained and respected.

People and their relatives were involved in the planning and review of their care. Care plans were reviewed on a regular basis and also when there was a change in people’s care needs. People were

supported to participate in social activities. The registered manager responded to concerns in a timely manner and ensured people were aware of the complaints procedure.

There were systems in place to monitor care delivery at the service and make improvements where necessary. Staff and people using the service felt the manager was approachable and supportive. The service had good links to the local community.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We saw medications were stored and recorded appropriately. The service had a robust process for the recruitment of staff and held records about staff recruitment securely. There were also checks on the quality of the service provided that included equipment and environment checks as well as getting feedback from people who used the service.