CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Esmer House
Rated Outstanding: inspectors found the home performing exceptionally well.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Staffing, recruitment, risk assessments, medicines and infection control were all described positively.
- Effective?
- Good
- Care was based on assessments of people’s mental, physical and social needs. Staff received specialist training, and people were supported with nutrition, healthcare, consent and independence.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect, and were involved in decisions about their care. Inspectors described the service as exceptionally caring despite the formal rating being Good.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- Care plans and activities were highly personalised. Staff supported people to communicate, maintain relationships, take part in community life and achieve individual wishes.
- Well-led?
- Outstanding
- Inspectors found exceptional leadership, an open culture and a strong focus on learning and improvement. People, relatives and staff were involved in shaping the service.
What inspectors found, November 2021
Esmer House was rated Outstanding overall, with safe and effective care and especially strong personalised support and leadership.
This was the home’s first inspection. Two inspectors visited on 2 September 2021, after giving 48 hours’ notice. They spoke with four people, four staff members and three relatives. They also reviewed care records, medicine records, training information and quality checks.
Inspectors found that people were safe, supported by skilled staff and involved in decisions about their care. The home used individual approaches to support independence, including helping people take their own medicines safely. Food planning, health support and risk management were tailored to people’s needs.
The strongest findings were about personalised care, community involvement and leadership. People were supported to follow their interests, maintain relationships and achieve personal goals. The overall Outstanding rating means inspectors judged the service to be exceptional overall, with Responsive and Well-led rated Outstanding.
Safety and staffing
People told inspectors the home was safe. There were enough competent staff, safe recruitment checks and robust approaches to assessing and managing risk.
“There were always enough competent staff on duty.” from the report
Support for independence
People were supported to take more control of their lives, including managing medicines where it was safe to do so. Staff used individual approaches to help people communicate and make choices.
“The provider supported and guided people in creative and innovative ways to allow them to independently take their prescribed medicines safely.” from the report
Personalised activities
The home helped people pursue their own interests and ambitions, including holidays, swimming, social events and community projects.
“Staff used innovative and individual ways of involving people and their family, friends and other carers in their care and support plans, so that they feel consulted, empowered, listened to and valued.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People’s privacy, dignity, equality and personal preferences were central to how the home worked. People were supported to live in their chosen way.
“Respect for privacy and dignity was at the heart of the provider's culture and values.” from the report
Open leadership
Inspectors found a strong, open culture where concerns were valued and staff were encouraged to learn. Leaders promoted development and worked with specialist organisations and other professionals.
“There was a genuinely open culture in which all safety concerns raised are highly valued as integral to learning and improvement.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you involve my relative in decisions about their care and any changes to their care plan?
- 02How would you support my relative to communicate if they need easy-read or pictorial information?
- 03How would you manage food access and nutritional needs while respecting my relative’s choices?
- 04What opportunities would my relative have to take part in activities and the local community?
- 05How would you support my relative to become more independent, including with medicines if appropriate?
This was the first comprehensive inspection of the newly registered home and included all five key questions, as well as infection prevention and control. This explanation was written from the published report of 3 November 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 Esmer House
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- November 2021Outstandingcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- December 2019
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 23 December 2019.
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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75 live-in carers within about an hour of Nottinghamshire
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 £980 to £1,260 a week. 63 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Ernest is an amazing professional carer who delivers care from the heart.”
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.