Archived: Eldon House Care Services

Updated 10 January 2017

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 15 November 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one inspector and one Specialist Advisor who was a nurse.

As part of the inspection we looked at information we held about the home. Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at statutory notifications the provider had sent us. These are notifications the provider must send us about certain events, such as serious injuries or allegations of abuse. We also contacted the local authority for information they held about the home. We used this information as part of a planning for the inspection.

We spoke with five people who lived at the home, two relatives, three care staff, the cook and the deputy manager. We also spoke with a visiting health professional, the registered manager and the provider. We carried out observations of how staff interacted with people. We looked at four records relating to people’s care, medicine records and records relating to the management of the home which included the provider’s self-audits.

Updated 10 January 2017

We carried out an unannounced inspection of this home on 15 November 2016. Eldon House care Services is a residential home providing personal care for up to 34 older people, who may have dementia. There were 33 people living at the home when we inspected. We last inspected the service on the 11 July 2013 and found it was compliant with the standards we inspected.

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

Staff obtained consent from people before they provided their care but the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) were not appropriately applied where people lacked capacity.

People told us they felt safe living at the home .People were supported by a staff team who knew how to keep people safe from the risk of harm and abuse. People were kept safe as potential risks had been assessed and staff were working in ways to reduce these risks. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had been recruited safely. People received their medicines as prescribed from staff who had received appropriate training. People’s medicines were stored safely.

People were supported by staff who had the appropriate skills to provide personal care. People had sufficient qualities to eat and drink, they told us they enjoyed the food and were offered choices. People were supported to maintain their health.

People told us staff were kind and caring. People were supported to make decision about how their care and support was delivered and these were respected. Staff promoted people’s privacy, dignity and independence.

People’s care and support needs were understood and met. People and their relatives were involved in the planning and review of their care. People’s requests for help and support were responded to promptly and were respected. People were supported and encouraged to take part in activities which supported their personal interests and hobbies. People knew how to make a complaint and there was a process in place to appropriately investigate and address complaints.

Systems to monitor the quality and consistency of the service were not always effective at identifying the improvements required and needed further development. People and their relatives were complimentary about the home and how it was managed. People, relatives and staff were given opportunities to provide feedback and the information was being used to improve the service.