Elm Park Care Home

Updated 17 April 2024

Date of assessment 23 July 2024. Elm Park Care Home is a ‘care home’ providing nursing and personal care for up to 100 older people, including people living with dementia. At the time our visit 92 people were using the service. This assessment was prompted in part due to concerns about the management of risks such as people’s risk of falls and choking. We found no evidence during this assessment that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Where things had gone wrong, there had been thorough investigations. There was a culture of learning, which identified themes and trends and timely and appropriate remedial action was taken to prevent recurrences. We saw no indication of unmanaged risks to people using the service. The service was last rated Good, with Requires Improvement in Well-Led (published 27 April 2022). The report was published following the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) old inspection approach using key lines of enquiry (KLOEs), prompts and ratings characteristics. This assessment has been completed following CQC’s new approach to assessment; the Single Assessment Framework (SAF). We have rated the service as Good in all key questions. The assessment team was made up of 4 inspectors 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. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. During the site visit we spoke with 10 people who used the service and 5 visiting relatives. We spoke with 12 members of staff including nursing, care and wellbeing. Our observations included the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

Updated 17 April 2024

People told us they felt safe in the home. For instance, one person said, “I do very much [feel safe], we have good [staff]. Beneficial, but we also have kindness.” One relative’s feedback included, "I have observed the care that Mum has received at Elm Park as well as the general level of care throughout the home and can say that I would not hesitate to recommend it.” People and their relatives told us the management team were supportive and approachable, and there was a positive culture within the home. They were confident to speak with staff and the registered manager if they had any concerns. People, their relatives told us the management team were supportive and approachable, and there was a positive culture within the home. They were confident to speak with staff and the registered manager if they had any concerns. The provider had effective governance and management systems in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service. People were supported by staff who understood their care and support needs. People had opportunities to give their feedback about the service and their wishes were respected. People received their medicines as prescribed and there were enough staff to support people safely. Staff spoke positively about the support they received and felt able to speak up about any concerns. Processes were in place to assess people’s capacity to make decisions about their care, in line with The Mental Capacity Act 2005. 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. There were no undue restrictions on people receiving visits and we saw people’s visitors coming and going throughout the day of our assessment visit.