Archived: Elm Cottage

Updated 15 May 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This comprehensive inspection took place 16 April 2018. It was unannounced and was carried out by one inspector.

We reviewed all the information we had available about the service, including notifications sent to us by the provider. A notification is information about important events, which the provider is required to send us by law. We used this information to plan what areas we were going to focus on during our inspection.

We also reviewed the information the provider had given us in their Provider Information Confirmation (PIC). This form asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well, and the improvements they plan to make. We also sought feedback from commissioners who had funded people to live there and monitored the service.

During our inspection, we spent time observing people to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk to us. We spoke to three people, one relative, three support workers, the registered manager a visiting health professional and a clinical psychologist. Their feedback about the service has been included within the report.

We looked at the care records of three people to see whether they reflected the care given and four staff recruitment records. We looked at other information related to the running of and the quality of the service. This included quality assurance audits, training information for care staff, minutes of meetings with staff and people who lived in the service and arrangements for managing complaints.

Updated 15 May 2018

Elm Cottage is a ‘care service’. People in care services receive accommodation and personal care under a contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection. Elm Cottage provides care and support for up to three people with complex neurological needs following a traumatic or acquired brain injury. The service aims to provide short-term and long-term rehabilitation service and enable people to maximise their potential for improvement. At the time of our inspection there were three people using the service.

This inspection took place on 16 April 2018. The inspection was unannounced, this meant the staff and provider did not know we would be visiting. At the last inspection on 13 November 2015, the service was rated ‘Good’. At this inspection, we found that the service remained good.

A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The service was Safe. The service had appropriate systems in place to keep people safe and staff followed these guidelines when they supported people. There were a sufficient numbers of care staff available to meet people’s care needs and people received their medication as prescribed and on time. The provider had a robust recruitment process in place to protect people from the risk of avoidable harm. They had been recruited safely with the skills and knowledge to provide care and support to people.

The service was Effective. Staff received regular supervision and had been trained to meet people’s needs. Arrangements were made for people to see a GP and other healthcare professionals when they needed to do so. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice. A wide range of activities was provided, which included involvement and use of local and wider community based activities.

The service was Caring. People were cared for and supported by staff that understood their needs and knew them well. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and were sensitive to their needs regarding equality, diversity and their human rights. The care and support people received was individualised.

The service was Responsive. People’s health and emotional needs were assessed, monitored and met in order for them to live well. The policies and systems in the service support this practice. The service worked closely with relevant health care professionals and people received the support they needed to have a healthy diet that met their individual needs.

The service was Well-Led. There were systems in place to drive improvement and audits were carried out on a regular basis, which looked at the quality of the service people received. The registered manager had a clear oversight of the service.