Essendene EPH

Updated 20 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 29 January 2021 and was announced.

Updated 20 February 2021

Essendene EPH is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Essendene accommodates 13 people in one building. At the time of the inspection, 8 people were living at the service.

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. The registered manager had been in post since the 21 December 2017.

At the last inspection, the service was rated overall Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good:

People told us they felt safe and relatives felt very confident that their family members were well looked after.

The premises were clean and safe for people as regular checks of the environment and any equipment were undertaken.

People received safe care as any risks had been identified and action taken to reduce any risk of harm. However, improvements were required to the way in which these were documented.

Care plans for people new into the service were personalised but improvements were required to ensure that the care plans for long standing residents were as up to date and detailed in their content. There was a detailed monthly review that reflected peoples' current needs.

People remained protected from the risk of abuse as staff had received training and understood their safeguarding responsibilities and the reporting process.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink and received timely support to access healthcare professionals when their health needs changed. If people had particular wishes for end of life care these were discussed and recorded.

There was a stable staff team many of whom had been at the service for a number of years. They were observed to be kind, caring and knew people well. People received care and support how they liked it and their independence was encouraged.

People's viewpoints were actively sought and the service responded positively to feedback and complaints. The home environment was warm and welcoming with lots of opportunities for activities, stimulation and social interaction that met people’s needs and preferences.

Staff received training and support with learning to help equip them with the skills and knowledge required to support people effectively. Staff felt well supported through the supervision and appraisal process and the regular presence of the management team.

There was robust oversight of the service and clear lines of accountability at staff, management and provider level. The registered manager and provider were at the service on a daily basis.

Lessons were learned from accidents, incidents and complaints. These were recorded with actions taken to minimise the risk of re-occurrence.

The registered manager was new to this position, having previously been a member of the care team. They were in the process of reviewing and putting into place more formal quality assurance systems place to monitor the safety and effectiveness of the service and drive improvements.