Elliott Residential Care Home

Updated 21 September 2023

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.

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.

The inspection team

This inspection was carried out by 2 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

Elliott Residential Care 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. Elliott Residential Care Home is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

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 our last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used all this information to plan our inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We discussed this information with the registered manager during this inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 6 people who use the service, 7 relatives and 2 people's representatives about the experiences of the care provided. We spoke with 7 members of staff, which included the registered manager, deputy manager and 5 care workers. We observed interactions between people and staff in communal areas.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 6 people's care plans and multiple medicine records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including staff training records, policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 21 September 2023

About the service

Elliott Residential Care Home is residential care home providing personal care for up to 17 people. The service is able to meet a range of needs including learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, mental health and dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people using the service.

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. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

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

Right Support: Risks to people had been identified and addressed, though care records required further development to ensure all information was included in people's care plans. Care plans were under review at the time of our inspection. Environmental audits and checks were not always effective in identifying improvements. The registered manager addressed this following our inspection visit. Improvements had been made so people were supported to take their medicines safely.

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.

Right Care: Staff were safely recruited and were knowledgeable about people's needs and wishes. Staff promoted equality and diversity in their support for people. They understood people's cultural needs and provided culturally appropriate care. People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them because staff supported them consistently and understood their individual communication needs. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it.

Right Culture: People were empowered to achieve their personal aspirations and positive outcomes from their care with staff support and guidance. Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their wishes to live a quality life of their choosing. Staff respected people's rights, including the right to make unwise, informed choices and positive risk taking. People and, where appropriate, their relatives, were at the centre of their care and their voice was used to guide and inform how care and support should be provided.

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 2 March 2023) and there were breaches of regulation. We issued a warning notice. 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 inspection of this service on 16 November 2022. Breaches of legal requirements were found and we issued a warning notice. 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 Elliott Residential Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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