This inspection took place on 27 and 28 January 2016. It was an unannounced visit to the service.We previously inspected the service on 7 March 2014. The service was meeting the requirements of the regulations at that time.
Queen Elizabeth house is a nursing home which provides care for up to twenty people with epilepsy, learning and/or physical disabilities. The home is a purpose built bungalow and consists of an eight bedded and 12 bedded unit. At the time of our inspection there were seventeen people living in the home.
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.
We received positive feedback about the service. Comments from people and relatives included: “The care is fantastic here”, “Feel like the staff and people living here are family, we are very happy with the care provided and don’t want anything to change”, “Staff have the right attitude, intelligence and empathy to support our family member”.
People told us they felt safe. Relatives were confident people were safe. Staff were trained in safeguarding and policies and procedures were in place to support safe practice to safeguard people.
Accident/ incidents and risks to people were appropriately managed. People’s medicines were handled safely and daily checks were in place to pick up any discrepancies in medicine administration.
People had access to a wide range of healthcare professionals. Staff were responsive to changes in people’s health and well- being. They sought advice in a timely manner to prevent deterioration in people. People were provided with specialist equipment to promote their independence and keep them safe.
People had care plans in place which provided guidance for staff on how people were to be supported. Care plans were person centred, informative and kept under review. Staff had a good awareness of people’s needs and risks. They knew how they liked to be supported and support was in line with the guidance provided.
People felt cared for. Relatives were happy with the care provided. Staff were observed to be kind, caring, enabling and had a good relationship with the people they supported. People were supported to take part in activities. Activities were being developed to provide a more varied programme of activities for people.
Safe staffing levels were maintained and agency/ bank staff were used to cover gaps in the rota. Staff were inducted, trained and supported in their roles to ensure they worked to the vision and values of the service. Bespoke training was provided to provide staff with the knowledge and skills they needed to support individuals with more complex needs. Safe recruitment practices were promoted to ensure staff had the right skills and attributes for the role.
The home was clean, well maintained and kept in a safe condition. Equipment was cleaned and regularly serviced.
People, relatives and staff were all complimentary of the registered manager. They felt the home was well managed. They described the registered manager as “Accessible, approachable, outstanding, fantastic, helpful, friendly, kind, gifted and amazing”. The registered manager was a positive role model to the staff team. They had worked hard in developing the staff to work as a team, they were proactive in addressing issues and finding solutions, they had facilitated improvement in a person’s well -being, they had introduced innovative ideas in relation to training and inductions and remained committed to providing the best care for people.
The registered manager and provider audited the service to ensure it was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. People and their relatives were given the opportunity to feedback on the care provided to further promote safe practice. Records were suitably maintained and policies and procedures were in place to guide staff practice.