CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Elmhurst Short Stay Service
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People had up-to-date risk assessments and care plans, and staff recorded care accurately. Medicines were managed safely, and infection control practices were strong.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff were trained and supported, and worked with health and social care services. People had care plans covering their needs, including food, medicines and health support.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff knew people well and treated them with dignity and respect. People and relatives were involved in decisions about care.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's needs and preferences. The home offered varied activities and adapted its support for people with different needs.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Managers promoted an open and person-centred culture. Audits, feedback, incident reviews and complaints were used to identify improvements.
What inspectors found, October 2021
Elmhurst Short Stay Service was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with improvements made after previous medicines errors.
This was a planned inspection of the care home on 30 September 2021. One inspector spoke with six people and seven staff, and checked care plans, medicines records, staff files and management records. Infection prevention and control was also reviewed because of COVID-19.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that people received the care they needed, medicines were managed safely, and the home had very high standards of cleanliness and hygiene.
People were involved in their care and were treated with kindness and respect. Staff were trained, knew people well and provided activities and support based on individual interests. Managers had strong systems for checking quality and learning from incidents and complaints.
The overall rating remains Good, the same as at the previous inspection published on 22 January 2019. The report says the home had made significant improvements after earlier medicines errors.
Clean and infection-aware
Inspectors found very good cleanliness and hygiene. Staff used protective equipment safely, and managers carried out regular checks of cleaning, handwashing and equipment.
“The care home had very good standards of cleanliness and hygiene.” from the report
Safe medicines support
The home used electronic records, audits and staff checks to support safe medicines administration. The report says medicines errors had reduced significantly after earlier problems.
“This had resulted in a significant reduction in the number of medicines errors.” from the report
Personalised activities
Activities were planned around people's interests and included time with people who were isolating. Staff also supported individual interests and relationships.
“The activities coordinator drew up daily activity plans that covered people's individual needs, interests and preferences.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you make sure the improvements in medicines safety continue, and how are any new errors dealt with?
- 02How will you assess my relative's needs before a short stay, and how quickly will the care plan be updated if their needs change?
- 03What staffing levels and staff skills will be available during my relative's stay, including if extra support is needed?
- 04Which activities would suit my relative's interests, communication needs and health?
- 05What are the current arrangements for visiting relatives, testing and face masks?
This was a planned inspection covering all five key questions, including infection prevention and control under Safe; all five ratings remained Good from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 October 2021 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, February 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and flexible care, with medicines recording and business continuity arrangements under review.
This was an unannounced, comprehensive inspection on 22 January 2019. One inspector spoke with people using the home, relatives, staff and managers, and checked care files, medicines, training, safety records and audits.
The home provided short-term, emergency, respite and day care for up to 27 people. Inspectors found appropriate safeguarding, enough staff, safe medicines systems, up-to-date risk assessments and clean, accessible premises.
People were treated kindly and involved in their care. Inspectors also found flexible routines, person-centred care plans, activities, suitable food, a complaints process and regular checks on quality.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This was unchanged from the previous inspection, and inspectors found no serious risks or concerns.
Enough staff
Inspectors found staffing levels sufficient for people's needs on the inspection day. Recruitment checks were also described as robust.
“Staffing levels were sufficient on the day of the inspection to meet the needs of the people who used the service.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives spoke positively about the care. Inspectors observed kindness, compassion, respect for privacy and support for people's independence.
“We observed staff interacting with people who used the service. They approached people with compassion and kindness and were respectful at all times.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's backgrounds, interests, choices and preferences. People were involved in discussions and reviews about their care.
“Care files we looked at were person-centred and included information about the individual.” from the report
Choice and flexibility
People could choose when to get up, go to bed and join activities. There were also food choices and alternatives if people changed their minds.
“A person who used the service said, "I can do what I want.” from the report
Quality monitoring
The home used regular meetings, audits, reports and checks covering areas such as medicines, incidents, complaints, staffing and safety.
“There were a number of quality assurance checks in place.” from the report
Medicines system under review
minorThe electronic medicines recording system was under review. Topical medicines were being recorded manually at the time of inspection.
“The service had been using an electronic system for recording medicines (EMAR) which was currently under review.” from the report
Business continuity plan under review
minorThe home had a plan for interruptions such as staffing shortages, loss of heating or power, but it was being reviewed.
“The service had a business continuity plan in place, which was currently under review.” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to the electronic medicines recording system since it was under review?
- 02How are topical medicines recorded and checked now?
- 03Has the business continuity plan review been completed, and what would happen if there were staff shortages or a loss of heating or power?
- 04How will you make sure my relative's care plan reflects their choices, background, preferences and changing needs during a short stay?
- 05What activities and food choices are available, and how do you support people who change their minds or need a special diet?
This was an unannounced, comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions, and the Good ratings were unchanged from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 15 February 2019 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Elmhurst Short Stay Service
3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- October 2021Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 15 April 2016.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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Most charge £980 to £1,260 a week. 94 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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