Archived: Essex Care Consortium Ltd - Fordham

Essex Care Consortium - Fordham is a residential care home, providing personal care and accommodation for six people who may have a learning disability and or complex/physical health needs.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were safe living in the service. Risks had been identified and people were looked after safely.

Staff were kind and caring and supported people to be as independent as possible.

People had access to healthcare professionals when required.

Staff knew how to care for people. Staff used their skills,resources and equipment provided so the risk of accidental harm or infections was reduced. Staff had developed effective skills to meet the complex needs of the people at the service.

People were supported to have their prescribed medicines safely to remain well.

People were supported to eat and drink. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

The registered manager had clear oversight of the service and worked alongside staff. Staff were respectful of the register manager and told us they were approachable and supportive.

Rating at last inspection

Good (date of the last report published was (18th January 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor this service in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated as Good.

We inspected Essex Care Consortium - Fordham on the 1 December 2016 and the inspection was unannounced.

The service provides accommodation and support for up to six people who have a learning disability There were six people living at the service at the time of our inspection.

The service had 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 were cared for by staff that had been recruited and employed after appropriate checks were completed. There were enough skilled and experienced staff available to support people to live safely at the service.

Records were regularly updated and staff were provided with the information they needed to meet people’s needs. People's support was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety, welfare and independence.

Staff were able to explain to us what they would do to keep people safe and how they would protect their rights. They were aware of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) when people did not have capacity to make their own choices and decisions.

People who used the service were provided with the opportunity to participate in activities which interested them and they enjoyed an active social life. People were relaxed in the company of staff. Staff were able to demonstrate they knew people well. Staff were attentive to people's needs and treated people with dignity and respect.

The service worked well with other professionals by seeking guidance and support from the person’s G.P, psychiatrist, social worker and the specialist team which supported people with a learning disability. This ensured that people's health needs were met.

People who used the service and their relatives were involved in developing the service. They knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint if they needed to. We saw that any complaints were dealt with and resolved quickly.

A system for monitoring the quality of the service was in place to ensure that people received high quality care and support which enriched their lives.