Archived: Elm Cottage - Middlewich

The home is a detached house in the area of Middlewich in East Cheshire. At the time of our inspection there were four people living there.

At the last inspection the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

We spoke with the people who lived in the home and two relatives who all gave positive feedback about the home and the staff who worked in it.

Staff spoken with and records seen confirmed training had been provided to enable them to support the people with their specific needs. We found staff were knowledgeable about the support needs of people in their care. We observed staff providing support to people throughout our inspection visit. We saw they had positive relationships with the people in their care.

We found medication procedures at the home were safe. Staff responsible for the administration of medicines had received training to ensure they had the competency and skills required.

The residential manager understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions. We saw that people were supported to make their own decisions and their choices were respected. Assistive technology was in place to maximise people’s independence and the least restrictive options had been taken.

Care plans were person centred and driven by the people who lived who lived in the home. They detailed how people wished and needed to be cared for. They were regularly reviewed and updated as required.

The residential manager used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included regular audits of the service and staff meetings to seek the views of staff about the service. The staff team were consistent and long standing. They demonstrated that they were committed to providing the best care possible for the people living in the home.

People we spoke to told us that they were happy with the care they received and could make some of their own decisions about how they spent their time. One person said 'Happy here, everything good.'

We saw that staff interacted well with people using the service and were kind and caring in the way that they delivered care to people.

We were told that the people living in the house had been encouraged to become involved in the growing of produce and had found this particularly enjoyable.

The staff we spoke to told us that there was effective team work in place. One member of staff told us; 'It's good having a small team, it means the guys get consistent care and that communication between staff members is very good.'

We spoke to staff who confirmed that they knew what to do if a person made a complaint.

People who use the service and their families were involved in Person Centred plans and making choices about care and treatment. People were supported in promoting their independence and community involvement.

People's diversity, values and human rights were respected. A staff member said that people who use the service are, "treated as individuals."

We found that people's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with peoples individual care plan in a way that was intended to ensure their safety and welfare.

People who use the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening, through regular staff training and a clear policy.

There were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs.

People who use the service, their representatives and staff were asked for their views about their care and treatment and they were acted on.

One relative said, "My son can't tell us how he is, but we can tell by his demeanour that he is really happy"

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