HF Trust - The Elms

Updated 3 March 2022

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.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 1 February 2022 and was short term announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. We spoke to three staff members; the registered manager, regional manager, support worker/Covid test and screener and one resident.

Updated 3 March 2022

The inspection took place on 26 February and 5 March 2018. The first day of the inspection was unannounced.

The last inspection took place in October 2015 and the service was rated ‘Good’ overall and in each individual domain. At this inspection we found the service had maintained its overall rating of ‘Good’.

HF Trust – The Elms 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.

HF Trust – The Elms accommodates up to eight people in one adapted building. The building is located in Dore on the outskirts of Sheffield.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

The service had two registered managers in place. One of these was in day to day control of the service and the other was a senior manager within the provider group. Throughout this report, the manager in day to day control will be identified as the registered manager and the senior manager as the operations 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.

We found an extremely caring service. Without exception, people receiving support and their relatives spoke positively about the staff that supported them. Staff knew people very well and had developed very strong relationships with them. Care and support was focused on each individual and maximising their care experience. Staff were extremely dedicated in ensuring people were kept happy, occupied and lived fulfilling lives. The service was dedicated to increasing people’s independence and confidence to help them achieve their goals.

People said they felt safe and secure living in the home. Systems were in place to protect people from harm and staff understood how these operated. People received their medicines as prescribed and appropriate records were kept. When things went wrong, investigations were undertaken and the service learnt from adverse events to improve its safety.

There were enough staff deployed to ensure people received prompt care and support when they needed it. Safe recruitment procedures were in place to help ensure staff were of suitable character to work with vulnerable people. Staff received training which was appropriate to their role. This was tailored to the individual needs of the people they were supporting.

The service was compliant with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The service involved people in decision making to the maximum extent possible and where people lacked capacity, best interest decisions were made.

The service worked effectively with a range of health professionals to help ensure good care outcomes. Care plans were detailed and demonstrated people’s needs had been assessed. People and relatives told us the care provided met people’s individual needs.

There was a clear, visible person centred culture within the home. People knew the staff and management very well and spoke highly of them. Staff said morale was good and they felt well supported. Governance systems were operated by the management team to ensure risks were monitored and improvements were continuously made.

People’s views and opinions were valued and sought through a variety of mechanisms. These were used to make improvements to plans of care and how the service was run.