Elizabeth House Newquay Ltd

Updated 14 July 2023

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

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 1 inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We announced the inspection a few days in advance to ensure that people would give us permission to visit them in their home.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection, we reviewed information we held about the service and the provider which included any statutory notifications sent to the CQC. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. 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 3 people who used the service about their experience of the care provided and received a letter from another person. We spoke with 6 members of staff including the registered manager, senior carer and care staff. We also spoke with a visiting health and social care professional.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people's care and medication records. We looked at 1 staff file in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

We spoke with a relative by telephone and received an email from a staff member about their experiences of Elizabeth House.

Updated 14 July 2023

Elizabeth House Newquay Ltd is a supported living service providing personal care. The service provides support to people living in their own homes so they can live as independently as possible. The service was supporting 6 people who received personal care who lived in their own supported living settings. The service also supported one person in the community.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. In this service, the Care Quality Commission can only inspect the service received by people who get support with personal care. This includes help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where people receive such support, we also consider any wider social care provided.

People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual arrangements. The CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people's care and support.

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

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting underpinning principles of “Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture.

The Right support:

The model of care and setting maximised people’s choice, control and independence. The service was in a town and there was good access to the local community and amenities.

People were supported to make their own decisions and included in the day to day running of their home. This included attending work or college, going shopping and accessing the community.

Staff focused on people’s strengths and interests. They promoted what people could do and focused on people having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

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 were supported by enough staff on duty who had been trained to do their jobs properly. People received their medicines in a safe way and were protected from abuse and neglect. Peoples care plans and risk assessments were clear and up to date. People were able to access timely support from health and social care professionals.

Right Care

There was a strong person-centred culture within the staff team. Care is person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. People were treated in a dignified manner and staff were aware of people’s support needs.

Staff knew people well and demonstrated an understanding of people's individual care, behavioural and communication needs. Staff gained consent from people prior to providing any support.

People received good quality care, support and treatment because staff had the skills they needed and supported each other effectively. Staff comments included “We are like a family and as we are a small service, we get to know people well. We really do care.” Health and social care professionals also provided positive views on the caring approach by staff to people they supported. Comments included “Staff here really do seem to care.”

People communicated with staff with no hesitation. Staff understood their individual communication needs and were consistent in their approach and response. Care plans informed staff of any specific ways to best communicate with each person.

Right culture

People led their life that reflected their personalities and preferences. People were supported by staff where the ethos, values, and attitudes of management and care staff ensured they led confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

Staff created an environment that inspired people to understand and achieve their goals and ambitions. A person commented “Elizabeth House has changed my life. I lost all hope, but Elizabeth House has made me realise that I have a whole life ahead of me and am really looking forward to achieving my goals and overcoming barriers.” Comments from staff included “We are so pleased when we see people achieve their goals, we enjoy their success with them.”

People’s quality of life was enhanced by the staff team’s commitment to ensuring a respectful and inclusive culture. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the care and support people received.

The registered manager and staff team were open and transparent and acted on feedback given, and queries raised, throughout the inspection.

People, relatives and health and social care professionals were complimentary of the service and could not identify any areas for improvement.

For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Last rating and update

This service was registered with us on 29 April 2022, and this is the first inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was rated good, published on 21 December 2020.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.