The Care Quality Commission
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  • Care home

Archived: Elm House Residential Care Home

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

76 Pillory Street, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 5SS (01270) 624428

Provided and run by:
Belong Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

28 August, 3 September and 1 and 5 October 2015.

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on the 28 August, 3 September and 1 and 5 October 2015. The inspection was unannounced.

Elm House Residential Care Home is registered to provide accommodation for 40 people who require support and care with their daily lives. The home is located in the town of Nantwich close to shops, public transport and other local amenities. The premises provide purpose built accommodation in 38 single bedrooms and one double bedroom. It is a two storey building and people live on both floors. Communal facilities include bathrooms and WC’s located around the home for convenient access. There are a number of lounges including a large sun lounge and dining area which overlooks the town centre and a hairdressing salon which is used by the visiting hairdresser. Access between floors is by a passenger lift or the stairs. The premises are set within pleasant gardens with an enclosed garden to the rear of the home. Car parking is available to the front and side of the building. On the first day of our inspection there were 31 people living in the home.

The home has 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.

When we carried out our last inspection of the home in July 2013 we found that the provider was meeting all the requirements for a service of this type.

Whilst we found that people were provided with care that was kind and compassionate, the home was not always being managed effectively. There were times when there were insufficient suitably qualified and competent staff on duty, to provide a safe service to the people who lived in the home.

We found that concerns and complaints raised by staff and visiting professionals had not always been responded to effectively, so management were not learning from past events, or taking effective corrective action to improve the service.

Although some people told us they felt safe, we found that management and staff had not always taken effective action to protect vulnerable people from abuse and neglect.

We identified breaches of the relevant regulations in respect of person-centred care, need for consent, safe care and treatment, safeguarding service users, good governance, and staffing. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

26 July 2013

During a routine inspection

The home was well maintained and had been decorated in the last year.

We spent time with people living and visiting the home and looking at their experiences. People were complimentary and positive about Elm House with feedback generally positive. One visitor said "This place is brilliant. It really is excellent. All the staff are fun, thoughtful, considerate and polite. You'll have an easy job to do today in inspecting this home because you’ll find nothing wrong here - and they provide lots of activities.”

We spoke with one person who had been living at the home for a few weeks. They said "I didn’t know of the home before I came in. I came with my nephew to look at the home and the room. The staff are very helpful and I have everything I need. I feel safe. I don’t know if I will stay here permanently yet, but I have no complaints. I have been involved in planning my care and I know that I can have my say.”

One person living in the home said "All the staff here are very courteous and show forethought, they don’t need any prompting to do things I’m very content here because we haven’t lost control over our identity. The activities are very good, but I would like even more. I would like to attend the Sunday morning worship at the parish Church on Sunday morning." But, other visitors said "I think that the staff could be more proactive” and "When the staff are busy they can look very ‘worried’.”

23 July 2012

During a routine inspection

During our visit we spoke with people who used the service, a number of relatives and a healthcare professional.

People who lived in the home told us that they were able to make choices in their daily lives. They also told us that staff treated them with respect and maintained their dignity. People told us that staff speak with them about their care plans and the way they wished to be supported with their daily lives. They were very positive about the quality of care and treatment they received.

The relatives and healthcare professional told us that during their visits to the home they had seen staff treat people with respect and maintain their dignity. The relatives also told us that they had been involved in reviews and other meetings, including a meeting with the GP, about their family member.

People living in the home told us they felt safe living in Elm House. They told us that they had no concerns about the way they were supported by staff with their care needs. They also told us that they no concerns about the manner in which they received their medication from the staff.

They were very positive in their comments about the staff. They told us that, although staff were kept very busy and worked very hard, they had noticed how things had improved over the last few months. A number of people who lived in the home told us that staff had to spend a lot of time supporting people who were living with dementia.

People told us they were asked for their views about the service and that they had completed questionnaires about the quality of care offered by Elm House.

People who used the service, relatives and the healthcare professionals told us that the 'home had improved a lot since the new manager came'. They also said 'We get newsletters and were told about any changes'.

16 February 2012

During a routine inspection

During our visit we spoke with people who use the service, relatives and healthcare professionals. We also received information from Cheshire East Social Services that told us they concerns about the safety and well-being of people who use the service and the overall management of the home.

People who use the service and their relatives told us they were not involved in the care planning process and that many of them had not been involved in any reviews of care plans. This is a minor concern as people are not involved in making decisions about their care, treatment and support. They told us that they were able to make choices in their daily lives. This included what time they went to bed, choice of meals and where they spent their leisure time. They also told us that staff treat them with respect.

The relatives told us that during their visits to the home they had seen staff treat people with respect and maintain their dignity. They also told us that although some things could be improved they were 'very satisfied' with care and support their family members were receiving. They told us their family members would have told them if they had any concerns or worries. They also said they would talk to the manager if they felt their family member was not being treated well.

People who use the service told us they were happy living in Elm House. They told us they 'were well looked after'. They told us that although 'some staff are better then others' they had no concerns about the way they were supported.

We spoke with healthcare professionals who told us staff were very friendly and helpful. They also told us that following meetings with CLS communication between them had improved as had the overall service offered to residents.

The residents we spoke with told us that staff were kind and caring. One person told us they had concerns that new staff did not always receive proper induction training. Another person said that although staff were competent at their job they sometime felt staff were 'rushing about' trying to get their work completed. They told us that, on occasions, 'there are not enough staff on duty particularly at weekends'. They also told us that staff were 'rushed off their feet' and that sometimes they had to wait for support with personal care. This may result in people not receiving prompt support with their care needs.

People told us following recent changes in the management of the home they were now satisfied they were listened to when they raised concerns about the support they received. They told us they were confident that the person currently managing the home would 'do a good job'. They welcomed the decision by CLS to make the current temporary management arrangements for the home permanent.