Archived: Eleighwater House Retirement Home

Eleighwater House Retirement Home is a care home for up to 5 older people. The family run home provides personal care in a pleasant rural environment. The home is located in a traditional house and is arranged over two floors. The service provides personalised care and supports people with many different care requirements. At the time of the inspection there were 5 people living in the home.

At the last inspection in December 2015 the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People told us they were looked after very well at Eleighwater. They said it was, “Overall a nice place to be.” People enjoyed the small, informal environment. The registered manager and their family lived in the grounds of the home. Their regular contact with people and the size of the home contributed to relaxed family style care and support.

People’s comfortable and personalised life-style was supported by the registered manager’s knowledge of good care practice and sound administrative systems.

People felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them. They had no worries and were confident they could talk to staff. They had confidence any concerns they had would be promptly addressed by the staff.

The provider had systems and processes in place to keep people safe and minimise the risk of abuse. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff to meet their needs in a relaxed manner.

The registered manager and staff were very pro-active in arranging for people to see health care professionals according to their individual needs. Staff noted changes in people’s health and requested GP visits when required.

People were supported by kind and caring staff. One person said, “Staff are always very attentive and kind.” Another person said, “This is an excellent place. Lovely atmosphere.” A member of staff said, “This is the best place I have worked by far. We are able to give good all round care here.”

People were able to make choices about all aspects of their day to day lives. Their care was responsive to their needs and personalised to their wishes and preferences

There were formal and informal quality assurance systems in place to monitor care and plan on-going improvements. There were audits and checks in place to monitor safety and quality of care.

The service was well run by a registered manager and staff manager who had the skills and experience to run the home so people received high quality person-centred care. The manager led a team of staff who shared their commitment to high standards of care and clear vision of the type of home they hoped to create for people.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

' Is the service safe?

' Is the service effective?

' Is the service caring?

' Is the service responsive?

' Is the service well led?

This is a summary of what we found:

Is the service safe?

People told us they felt safe at the home. One person said: 'I feel safe here, I go to bed with no worries because I know there's always someone here. If I ring the bell they come instantly.'

The recruitment procedure minimised the risks of abuse to people who lived at the home by making sure all staff were thoroughly checked before beginning work.

People lived in a safe environment. Regular health and safety checks were carried out to ensure all areas of the home and any equipment used were safe.

There were safe systems in place to make sure people received the correct medication at the correct time.

Risk assessments for individuals were incorporated into care plans. This made sure care was provided in a safe way and enabled people to take part in activities with minimum risk to themselves or others.

CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. We found the location to be meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. While no applications have been submitted relevant staff have been trained to understand when an application should be made, and in how to submit one. People's rights were therefore properly recognised, respected and promoted.

Is the service effective?

People received effective care and support to meet their needs and wishes. Everyone said they felt well cared for at the home. One person said: 'I couldn't ask for anything better. I'd give it 10 out of 10.' Another person told us: 'They encourage you to be independent but there is always help when you need it.'

People told us they continued to make decisions about their day to day routines. People said they were able to choose what time they got up, when they went to bed and how they spent their day. One person said: 'I'm an early to bed person, always have been, no one worries about that here.'

Staff who worked at the home received appropriate training to make sure they were able to provide care to meet people's specific needs.

Is the service caring?

Everyone who lived at the home was very complimentary about the staff who supported them. Comments included: 'They are all good' and 'I think the staff are all kind and would do anything for you.' We saw one person who was unable to communicate their views verbally, was extremely relaxed with the staff who supported them and smiled and laughed with them.

People were treated with respect and dignity. Throughout the visit we saw and heard staff interact with people who lived at the home in a friendly and polite manner. Where people needed support with personal care staff provided this in a discreet and respectful way. One person told us: 'They treat us all like human beings; it's like being part of a family.'

Is the service responsive?

The home monitored people's health and responded to changes in need. We saw that where a person's physical needs had changed the home made adjustments to the care and support provided. This made sure they continued to receive appropriate care to meet their needs.

People received care that was very personal to them. Staff demonstrated an excellent knowledge of the people who lived at the home. All were able to tell us about people's needs and their preferences. One member of staff told us: 'Because it's such a small home you get to know people really well and you can just provide things the way they want.' A person who lived at the home told us: 'It's nice to be somewhere small everyone understands you.'

Is the service well led?

The owner worked alongside care staff at the home which enabled them to monitor care on a daily basis. People told us the provider was open and approachable. One person said: 'You can talk to her about anything. Well you can talk to any of the staff about anything really.'

People's views were listened to and action was taken to make sure suggestions were put in place where appropriate. One person said: 'She always wants to know how things are. We talk about things like food and they make menus up from our suggestions.'

People we spoke with did not have any complaints about the care or service they received. However all said they would be able to address any issues with the provider. One person said: 'You are always listened to. They never just shrug things off.'

People were very complimentary about the staff who supported them. People told us 'The staff are so good' and 'They are all kind and polite but you can have a bit of fun with them as well.'

People were very happy with the care they received. One person said 'Everything is very nice and I certainly feel well looked after.' Another person told us 'I am very comfortable. They can't do enough for you.'

People had access to healthcare professionals to meet their specific needs. Care plans that we read contained records of appointments with healthcare professionals including doctors, community nurses and chiropodists.

All areas of the building that we saw were clean and fresh. People who lived at the home were happy with the standards of cleanliness. One person said 'Everywhere is always so lovely and clean.'

Medication was not always administered in line with good practice guidelines which could place people at risk of receiving the wrong medication.

Systems in place to monitor the quality of the service offered and ensure the safety of people were appropriate to the size of the home.

People who lived at the home said that they continued to make decisions about their day to day lives and their care. One person told us 'I can do want I want. I make the decisions about the help that I get and when I get it.'

Everyone we asked said that they were very happy with the care and support they received. Comments included; 'I feel well cared for' and 'Everything is very comfortable, I couldn't ask for anything better.'

We observed that people who lived at the home were well dressed and well presented. This showed that staff spent time to assist people with their personal care needs.

We saw that staff encouraged people to remain independent and offered support in a discreet manner which protected their dignity.

We looked at three staff personal files. Files contained application forms and evidence of formal interviews. The home carried out Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks before a new member of staff began work. This made sure that only people with the appropriate experience and character were employed at the home.

The owner worked alongside employed staff which enabled them to supervise staff and monitor standards on an ongoing basis.