Ellenborough Nursing Home

Updated 22 July 2022

The inspection

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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Ellenborough Nursing Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Ellenborough Nursing Home is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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 unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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 this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 14 people living at the service and four visitors. We reviewed care records for four people. We spoke with five staff members and the registered manager. . We reviewed a range of records regarding the safety and maintenance of the premises and audits of the running of the service.

Updated 22 July 2022

Ellenborough Nursing Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 29 people. The service provides support to adults requiring residential and nursing care. When we carried out our inspection 22 people were living at the service. Accommodation is in one adapted building over two levels.

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

People told us they felt safe at the service. Relatives we spoke with told us they were confident their loved ones were safe and well-cared for. A professional we spoke with was positive about the quality of care delivered at the service. The provider had systems in place to protect people from abuse and staff had received training in safeguarding people. We observed warm and friendly relationships between staff and people living at the service.

The provider had assessed risks to people and plans were in place to manage these risks. Any incidents and accidents were reported by staff and action taken to reduce the risk of recurrence.

Medicines were now managed safely. People received their medicines as prescribed and nursing staff followed guidance from the prescriber. When they needed further clarity, staff contacted the GP or prescriber.

Staff were positive and told us they were happy working at the home. They reported a supportive team with good communication and an approachable registered manager. All staff we spoke with emphasised the importance of person-centred care. Staff understood the importance of delivering care in the way people wished.

The provider had a governance system in place to monitor the safety and effectiveness of the service. This included regular maintenance checks and had a program of refurbishment.

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 requires improvement (published 10 October 2019). 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.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 27 August 2019. Two breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment and governance.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they 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 requires improvement to good. 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 Ellenborough Nursing Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk