Elmleigh Homes Limited

Updated 31 March 2022

The inspection

This was a focused inspection to check whether the provider had met the requirements of the Warning Notice in relation to Regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Elmleigh Homes Limited is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager 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

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 25 February 2022 and ended on 08 March 2022. We visited the office location on 01 March 2022.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, carer and domestic staff. We observed interactions between people and staff throughout the day.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and number of medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 31 March 2022

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Elmleigh Homes Limited is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 22 people who may have learning disabilities and older people. At the time of the inspection 19 people lived across four separate buildings. The service consisted of one 'main house', two smaller detached houses, 'Sapling 1' and 'Sapling 2', and a small house containing one flat which was occupied by one person. There was a secure car park area with tables and chairs people could use in warmer days and one 'summer style house' which was in the process of being set up to be used for arts and craft and other activities.

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

Right Support

Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that promoted their independence and achieved the best possible health outcome. However, we found one medicine administration record was missing important information about a person’s allergies to certain medicines.

Staff followed government guidance in relation to wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, gloves and aprons. The provider ensured all people and staff were following government guidance in relation to COVID-19 testing.

People had a choice about their living environment and were able to personalise their rooms. People’s rooms were very personalised, and people were able to decorate their room to reflect their interests and hobbies.

Staff enabled people to access specialist health and social care support in the community and people were supported to play an active role in maintaining their own health and wellbeing.

The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.

Right Care

People’s care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life. However, we found some care plans were lacking information about people’s health needs to guide staff.

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff understood and responded to their individual needs.

Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it.

People could take part in activities and pursue interests that were tailored to them.

Right culture

People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff.

Staff turnover was very low, which supported people to receive consistent care from staff who knew them well. This meant people received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was inadequate (published 05 November 2021) and there were breaches of regulation.

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

This service has been in Special Measures since 04 November 2021. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

We undertook this focused inspection to check whether the Warning Notice we previously served in relation to Regulation 12 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 had been met and to check the provider had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions safe and well-led which contain those requirements.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from inadequate to requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Elmleigh Homes Limited on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.