Eckington Court Nursing Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.Eckington Court Nursing Home provides nursing, personal care and accommodation for up to 50 older and younger people some of whom had dementia. On the day of our inspection there were 45 people living at the service, two of whom were in hospital.
We inspected on 5 June 2018 and the visit was unannounced. This meant the staff and the provider did not know we would be visiting.
At the last inspection in November 2016, the service was rated overall ‘Requires Improvement’, with a ‘Requires Improvement’ rating in both the Safe and Well Led domains. At this inspection, we found evidence to demonstrate and support the overall rating of ‘Good’.
The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.
People told us they felt safe living at Eckington Court Nursing Home. Their relatives agreed with what they told us. Both the management team and the staff working at the service understood their responsibilities for keeping people safe from avoidable harm and abuse and knew to report any concerns to the relevant people, including the local authority and CQC.
People’s needs had been considered prior to them moving into the service and the risks associated with their care and support had been assessed and managed. There were arrangements in place to make sure action was taken and lessons learned when things went wrong, to improve safety across the service.
Plans of care had been developed for each of the people using the service and the staff team knew the needs of the people they were supporting well.
Appropriate pre-employment checks had been carried out when new members of staff had been employed, to check they were suitable to work at the service. An appropriate induction into the service had then been provided and relevant training completed to enable the staff to meet people’s individual needs.
People told us there were usually enough staff members to meet their current care and support needs. The exception to this would be if a staff member phoned in sick at the last minute. In these instances, the registered manager used existing staff members or regular agency workers to cover the shortfall whenever possible.
People told us the staff team were kind and caring and treated them with respect. Observations made during our visit confirmed this. People’s consent was always obtained before their care and support were provided and the staff team supported people in the way they preferred.
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 home supported this practice.
The staff team supported people to make decisions about their day to day care and support. They were aware of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) ensuring people's human rights were protected. Where people lacked the capacity to make their own decisions, these had been made for them in their best interest and in consultation with others.
People's food and drink requirements had been assessed and a balanced diet was being provided. Records kept for people assessed as being at risk of not getting the food and drinks they needed to keep them well were on the whole, up to date.
People received on-going healthcare support and had access to the relevant healthcare services.
People were supported with their medicines in a safe way. Systems were in place to regularly audit the medicines held and the appropriate records were being kept. Staff members responsible for supporting people with their medicines had their competency checked to make sure they remained competent and capable to support people safely.
People were provided with a clean and comfortable place to live and there were appropriate spaces to enable them to either spend time with others, or on their own. Protective personal equipment, such as disposable gloves and aprons were readily available for use and the staff team had received training in the prevention and control of infection.
The staff team had received training on end of life care to enable them to support people at the end of their life with dignity and compassion.
Staff members felt supported and valued by the management team and told us there was always someone available to talk with should they need guidance or support.
People knew who to talk to if they had a concern of any kind. A formal complaints process was in place and this was displayed. People were confident that any concerns they had would be taken seriously and acted upon. Formal complaints received by the registered manager had been appropriately managed and resolved.
Relatives and friends were encouraged to visit and they told us the staff team made them welcome at all times.
Staff meetings and meetings for the people using the service and their relatives had been held. These provided people with the opportunity to have a say and to be involved in how the service was run. Surveys had also been used to gather people's feedback.
There were comprehensive systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service being provided and a business continuity plan was available to be used in the event of an emergency or untoward event.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.