Archived: Sunrise Operations Elstree Limited

Updated 9 April 2016

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 unannounced inspection took place on 3 March 2016 and was carried out by two inspectors.

Before our inspection we looked at all the information we held about the home. This included information from notifications. Notifications are events which the provider is required to send us. We also made contact with the local authority contract monitoring officers to obtain feedback.

During the inspection we spoke with six people who lived in the home. We also spoke with three relatives to obtain their feedback on how people were supported to live their lives. We received feedback from representatives of the local authority commissioning team. We observed how staff supported people and spoke with four care staff, a unit coordinator and the deputy manager.

We looked at five people’s care records, three staff files, staff training and recruitment records, and records that related to the management of the service which included quality monitoring audits.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us due to complex health needs.

Updated 9 April 2016

The inspection took place on 03 March 2016 and was unannounced.

Sunrise Operations Elstree is a large residential care home registered to provide care and support to up to 81 older people and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 67 people living at the home.

There was a manager in post who was in the process of registering with CQC. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

People who lived at the home told us they were happy living there and they had their needs met appropriately. Relatives and professionals involved with people’s care and support gave us positive and complimentary feedback about the service and said that they had no concerns about the care and support people received.

People, their relatives and professionals involved with the care and support of people who used the service said that they had no concerns about people's safety at Sunrise Operations Elstree. People had health care and support plans in place to help staff know how people liked their needs to be met safely. Risks to people’s safety and welfare had been identified and people were supported to live their lives as independent as possible. There were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s care and support needs at all times.

Staff members understood their roles and responsibilities well and were supported by the management team to constantly develop their skills and knowledge. People enjoyed a varied and healthy diet and their health needs were met appropriately with access to a range of health care professionals.

The atmosphere in the home was warm and welcoming and the environment was well maintained. We observed positive and meaningful interactions between the staff and people who used the service. Relatives were encouraged to visit the home anytime they wished and were involved in developing people’s care and support plans. People were treated with dignity and respect and their privacy was maintained.

There were systems and processes in place to monitor the quality of the service. People were involved in discussions about how the service was operated. The provider promoted a positive culture within the home and staff and people told us they felt valued.