Archived: Ellen Court

Updated 22 June 2015

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 8 April 2015. The inspection team included two inspectors.

Before the inspection we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that that asked the provider to give us some key information about the home, what they do well and improvements they plan to make. This was completed and returned by the registered manager within the requested timescale. We reviewed this information and used it to help focus our inspection.

We reviewed the information we held about the home and looked at the information the provider had sent us. We looked at statutory notifications we had been sent by the provider. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We also sought information and views from the local authority who had an involvement with the home. We used this information to help us plan our inspection of the home.

During the inspection we met and spoke with three people who lived at the home to gain their views on the care and support they received. We also spoke with the registered manager, service co-ordinator, locality manager, handyperson and three personal assistants. We looked in detail at the care two people received, carried out observations across the home and reviewed records relating to their care. We also looked at how medicine was managed, reviewed complaints, staff training, staff recruitment records, quality checks and improvement plans.

Updated 22 June 2015

The inspection was unannounced and took place on 8 April 2015. At the last inspection in October 2013, we found the provider was meeting the regulations we inspected.

Ellen Court provides care and accommodation for up to seven people with mental health conditions. There were four people living in the home on the day of the inspection and there was a registered manager 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.

People at Ellen Court told us that they felt safe living there. Staff knew how to protect people from the risk of harm or potential abuse. There were enough staff to support people living at the home at the time of the inspection. People felt that staffing levels would need to be increased in order to support a more varied activities programme or if more people moved into the home.

Staff were provided with training which they felt reflected the needs of people they supported. People’s health care needs were assessed, and support planned and delivered to meet those needs. People had access to healthcare professionals that provided treatment, advice and guidance to support their health needs.

Staff were described as kind, caring and friendly. Staff had developed positive working relationships with the people they supported. People were supported to make their own choices and decisions and felt listened to and respected.

People were involved in the planning and reviewing their care and support. They told us they took part in some activities but felt more activities should be made available. We were told plans were being made to increase these. People were supported to maintain relationships with their family and friends if they desired and knew who to speak with if they had concerns about the service or the support they received.

People were aware of who the management were and felt they were approachable and listened to them. People’s views were sought about the quality of the service. Regular checks were carried out to monitor and improve the service that people received.