Elliott House

Updated 1 November 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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 26 September 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector.

Prior to the inspection we gathered information from a number of sources. We reviewed the information we held about the service, which included correspondence we had received and notifications submitted to us by the service. A notification should be sent to CQC every time a significant incident has taken place. For example, where a person who uses the service experiences a serious injury.

We asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The PIR was completed and returned as requested. This information was considered as part of our inspection.

We spoke with two people who used the service and spent time observing staff supporting people. We also spoke with the registered manager, a senior support worker and four support workers.

We looked at documentation relating to the people who lived at the service, staff and the management of the service. This included two people’s care records, two staff records, and the systems in place for the management of medicines and quality assurance.

Updated 1 November 2018

We carried out this inspection on 26 September 2018. The inspection was unannounced.

Elliot 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. Elliot House provides accommodation and personal care for up to six people. At the time of the inspection there were six people living at the service.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

There was a manager at the service who was registered with the CQC. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

People who used the service told us they felt safe. Staff knew how to identify and report suspected abuse and had clear systems in place which ensured safety and legal standards were met. We found systems were in place to make sure people received their medicines safely so their health needs were met. Additional safeguards were in place for people who were on psychotropic medicines to reduce the risk of people being medicated unnecessarily. We found people received support from the same staff which promoted good continuity of care. It was evident there were enough staff on duty so people’s needs were met in a timely way and by staff who were well-trained and properly recruited. Specialist training was also provided so staff knew how to safely respond to behaviour that can challenge.

People’s care records contained detailed information and reflected the care and support being given. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the registered provider’s policies and systems supported this practice.

We observed staff were exceptionally caring and always listened. We saw care records contained details about people’s likes and dislikes so their personhood was promoted and respected. Staff knew people well and positive, caring relationships had been developed. People were encouraged to express their views and they were involved in decisions about their care. People’s privacy and dignity was respected and promoted.

The service provided a programme of activities to suit people’s preferences. We observed people had regular opportunities to access the community and support staff had access to an adapted vehicle to facilitate trips outside of the service.

All staff we spoke to told us the service was well-run and the management team were approachable and friendly. We found the registered provider’s systems or processes were well-established and operated effectively to ensure compliance with the requirements of regulations.