CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Elstree Court Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that infection prevention and control measures were effective, including the use of protective equipment, visitor arrangements and responses to infection risks. The previous Good rating was not changed because the whole Safe question was not reviewed.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not included in the ratings given in this inspection report.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not included in the ratings given in this inspection report.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was personalised and activities were varied and suited to people's interests. People's communication needs, complaints and end-of-life wishes were assessed and supported.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found a clear management structure, supportive leadership, positive teamwork and systems for checking quality. Staff, relatives and visiting professionals gave positive feedback about the management.
What inspectors found, February 2023
Rated Good overall; inspectors found personalised, kind care and strong management, but Safe was inspected without a new rating.
This was an unannounced inspection on 13 January 2023. One inspector spoke with people, staff, relatives and visiting professionals. They also observed care and checked care records, complaints, health and safety records and quality checks.
The home was rated Good overall. Responsive and Well-led were rated Good. Inspectors found personalised care, varied activities, support with communication, effective complaint responses and good end-of-life planning. Infection prevention arrangements were also considered effective.
Safe was inspected but not rated because the inspectors did not review every part of that question. Effective and Caring were not included in the ratings shown in this report. The Responsive rating improved from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection, while Well-led stayed Good.
Personalised activities
People received daily individual contact and could choose from varied activities. Staff supported individual interests, including gardening and caring for animals.
“The activities staff had undertaken relevant training and were providing varied and personalised activity and entertainment.” from the report
Individual care
Care plans reflected people's histories, preferences and routines. Staff respected choices such as when people wanted to get up or go to bed.
“People received personalised care that was tailored around their wishes, preferences and routines.” from the report
Communication support
People's communication needs were assessed and recorded. Staff used clear speech, gestures, touch and eye contact, and gave people time to respond.
“Staff were seen to promote communication by using touch and eye contact when talking to people.” from the report
Supportive leadership
The home had a stable management structure and a positive team culture. Staff said they felt supported and valued.
“There was a positive team spirit and culture in the service.” from the report
End-of-life care
Care plans recorded people's wishes, and staff worked with health professionals and the local hospice when needed. Staff had relevant training.
“When people needed end of life care, staff supported them to have a dignified and comfortable death.” from the report
Complaints tracking
minorIndividual concerns were recorded and acted on, but they were not previously kept in one central system to identify patterns. The manager started a concerns log during the inspection.
“However, concerns raised were not recorded in a central system that could be used to identify themes or trends for improvement.” from the report
Staffing cover
needs fixingSome staff had worked extra shifts to cover staffing shortfalls. The report does not say that this caused harm, but families may want to ask how regular the shortfalls were.
“Some staff had been doing extra shifts to cover some staffing shortfalls and felt they had been appreciated.” from the report
- 01How is the new central concerns log being used to identify themes and prevent repeated problems?
- 02How often do staffing shortfalls occur, and how do you make sure extra shifts do not affect people's care?
- 03What parts of Safe have not been reviewed since the previous Good rating?
- 04How are people's individual activities and daily routines planned and reviewed?
- 05How do you check that infection prevention arrangements remain up to date?
This was an unannounced inspection focused on infection prevention under Safe and on Responsive and Well-led; Safe was not fully reviewed, and Effective and Caring were not rated in this report. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 February 2023 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, March 2021
Elstree Court Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured that infection prevention and control measures were safe during a Covid-19 outbreak.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 5 March 2021. It looked only at infection prevention and control because the home had a recent Covid-19 outbreak.
Inspectors found the home clean and well maintained. Staff had infection control training, used protective equipment correctly, and people and staff were being tested. People with Covid-19 were isolated in their single rooms.
Visiting was closed to most visitors during the outbreak. End-of-life visits continued with individual risk assessments. Staff helped people stay in touch with relatives by video calls and telephone.
The service was marked 'Inspected but not rated'. This report does not give a quality rating for the home.
Clean surroundings
The home was clean and maintained through a regular cleaning programme. Housekeeping staff had training on Covid-19 cleaning measures.
“The home was clean and well maintained. There was a regular cleaning programme” from the report
Protective equipment
There was a good supply of protective equipment. Staff had training and were observed using it and following infection control practices correctly.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Safe visiting arrangements
Although general visiting was closed during the outbreak, end-of-life visits continued with individual risk assessments to protect people and visitors.
“visiting had continued for those people at the end of their life, with individual risk assessments to safeguard people and visitors.” from the report
Keeping in touch
Staff supported people to maintain contact with relatives and friends during the pandemic using video calls and telephones.
“Staff had supported people to maintain contact with their loved ones with the use of video calls and telephones during the pandemic.” from the report
Restricted visiting
minorMost visits were stopped because of a recent Covid-19 outbreak. The report says end-of-life visits continued, but families should check the current arrangements.
“The home was currently closed to all visitors due to a recent Covid-19 outbreak.” from the report
- 01What are the current visiting arrangements following the Covid-19 outbreak?
- 02How do you check that staff are still using protective equipment correctly?
- 03How often are people and staff tested for Covid-19 now?
- 04How would you support my relative to keep in touch with family if visits were restricted?
- 05How are people isolated and supported if they test positive for Covid-19?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control practices only; the service was inspected but not rated and the other care areas were not assessed in this report. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 March 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.
Every inspection of Elstree Court Care Home
2 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2023Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- August 2020Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- June 2018GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Good
- January 2017
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 31 January 2017.
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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19 live-in carers within about an hour of East Sussex
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £1,000 to £1,400 a week. 13 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“When he point blank refused to go into hospital for a life saving blood transfusion she talked him through the situation and agreed to go in the ambulance with him and stayed until he was settled.”
“Una felt safe, secure and loved in her time with Debbie which is a gift that I am eternally grateful for.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.