Emerson House

Updated 22 June 2021

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Emerson House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

The provider had not been asked to complete a provider information return. This is information providers send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We observed daily life for people living at the home. This was because some people at the home were not able to directly tell us their views due to their complex needs.

We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager, a quality assurance manager and a senior manager as well as a senior support worker, two workers and the chef.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and four medicine records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including staff training as well as policies and procedures were also reviewed.

After the inspection

We spoke by telephone interview to two people’s relatives about the care and support their family members were receiving.

Updated 22 June 2021

About the service

Emerson House is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 8 people. At the time of the inspection there were eight people living at the home. Emerson House provide care and support to adults with learning disabilities.

The care home accommodates six people in a purpose-built adapted building. It also accommodates two people in individual purpose-built ground floor studio flats.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

We saw staff support people in safe and highly competent ways. Feedback from relatives was very positive. One relative said of the staff team, “They are doing their best and they don’t stop trying.”

People were supported to access healthcare services and their medicines were managed well. People's care records were detailed and outlined the support they needed. Care records were regularly reviewed to make sure they reflected changes to people's circumstances. Detailed risk assessments were in place to identify and help minimise the chances of people experiencing harm.

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 practice.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

This service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. The Model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and independence. The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff helped people using the service to inclusive and empowered lives.

This was evidenced in many ways. The registered manager, senior managers and support staff all shared positive person-centred values in relation to how they supported people. People were able to make clear choices in their life for example what they did and how they spent their day. People were able to keep their rooms and accommodation in ways that reflected them and their personalities. People had unrestricted access to all parts of the home. People also looked very relaxed with all the staff and this helped convey how empowered and relaxed they were in the home.

Rating at last inspection (and update)

The last rating for this service was Good (published 12 February 2018).

Why we inspected:

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about people’s care, a range of health and safety matters, training, the quality of food, as well as an allegedly lack of stimulation for people who lived at the home . A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks as part of our inspection.

Although no breaches were found we have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. This relates to the quality of food, and the storage of care records. We have made recommendations in both these areas.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Emerson House.