Elmhurst

Updated 10 February 2021

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 coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 20 January 2021 and was announced.

Updated 10 February 2021

About the service

Elmhurst is a residential care home that provides personal care and accommodation for up to 40 people. At the time of our inspection there were 27 people living at the home. The home is a purpose-built single storey building, divided into four 10 bedded units. All the bedrooms are for single occupancy and some have en-suite facilities. The separate units each have a sitting room with a dining area and kitchenette. There are gardens to the front and rear of the home.

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

The provider had safeguarding systems to protect people from the risk of abuse or unsafe care. Staff were aware of the procedures, had received training on it and knew what action to take. The provider had policies and procedures for safe staff recruitment and the registered manager made sure sufficient numbers of appropriately trained and skilled staff were on duty to give people the support they needed.

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. Risks to people’s health and safety were assessed and mitigated and equipment maintained for safe use.

Staff assessed and reviewed people's physical, mental health and social needs and were supported with the proper and safe use of medicines. Care plans had been developed with the close involvement of the person and where appropriate their families to give a clear picture of them and their needs. People received support to maintain good nutrition and hydration in line with their personal choice.

Staff were kind and caring towards people and had developed trusting and mutually respectful relationships with them, knowing them in detail, including their histories, interests, likes and dislikes. We saw that staff treated them with kindness and compassion and made sure their dignity was maintained.

The registered manager and staff were highly responsive and creative in finding ways to involve people in the local community and to maintain and develop new interests to improve their quality of life. There was an excellent range of activities and opportunities available to people inside and outside the home. The service provided a consistently high standard of compassionate end of life care and took into consideration the needs of relatives and friends

Governance and quality assurance were embedded within the service. Staff felt valued by the management team and demonstrated high levels of commitment. The registered manager was open and transparent throughout our inspection and it was evident that the ethos of the home was to promote an open and transparent approach in all they did. The registered manager displayed knowledge and understanding around the importance of working closely with other agencies and healthcare professionals to make sure people had good care.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (Published 20 June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.