Eric Williams House

Updated 4 April 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

There was one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Eric Williams 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.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service and six relatives about their experience of the care provided. With spoke with one visiting professional and two volunteers. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, assistant manager, and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. These included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed.

Updated 4 April 2020

Eric Williams House is a residential care home providing personal care to 40 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. They also offer a six-week reablement service, where people are supported to regain independence and return home. The service can support up to 43 people in total.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People felt safe living at Eric Williams House. Staff knew how to protect and speak up on behalf of people to further safeguard people. People’s identified risks had steps in place which minimised the risk of further harm or injury. There were enough staff to care for people. Staff used gloves and aprons to help reduce the risk of infection. Incidents and accidents had been recorded and reviewed so people were supported if things had happened.

People’s care needs had been assessed, and staff had training and support to provide care based on best practice guidance. People enjoyed their meals and staff knew how to best ensure people had enough to eat and drink. People had access to other health and social care professionals to promote their well-being. The home had been decorated to reflect the needs of people living with dementia. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People enjoyed the company of staff and were happy living at Eric Williams House. People were freely able to tell staff about the care they wanted and made decisions about this. People were supported by staff who promoted people’s independence, choice and privacy. Staff enjoyed their role and were free from judgement or bias.

People’s care had been planned to meet their short and long terms needs and goals. People’s preferences were respected and involved people who mattered to them. People’s communication needs were met and people were supported to have access to things they liked to do. Complaints were welcomed and responded to, with any learning shared across the provider’s locations. People were supported at the end of their lives and staff knew people’s choices and requests.

People’s views and opinions were collated and used to make any requested changes. There were systems and processes in place to monitor people’s care and treatment. People knew the registered manager who demonstrated a clear vision and followed an improvement service plan. Staff also supported planned improvements.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 9 August 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.