The Elms Care Home 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.

The service is registered to provide accommodation for up to 37 people, including older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. The accommodation is provided over two floors

We inspected the service on 30 January 2018. Our inspection was unannounced. There were 27 people living in the care service. This is the first inspection since the location was registered in January 2017 with a new provider.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers (‘the provider’) 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.

There were enough staff to keep people safe and meet their care and support needs in a timely way. Training and supervision systems were in place to provide staff with the knowledge and skills they required to meet people’s needs effectively. Staff provided end of life care in a sensitive and person-centred way. Pre-employment checks were completed on staff before they were assessed to be suitable to look after people who used the service.

People’s individual risk assessments were reviewed and updated to take account of changes in their needs. Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns to keep people safe from harm. There was evidence of organisational learning from significant incidents and events.

People’s medicines were managed safely and staff worked closely with local healthcare services to ensure people had access to any specialist support they required. Systems were in place to ensure effective infection prevention and control.

Staff were kind and patient. People were provided with food and drink that met their individual needs and preferences. People were provided with a varied activity programme including visiting the local town.

Staff were able to demonstrate their understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS); these provide legal safeguards for people who may be unable to make their own decisions.

The registered manager were well known to everyone connected to the service. A range of audits was in place to monitor the quality and safety of service provision and action was taken where improvements were identified.

People were involved in the running of the service. Regular meetings were held for the people and their relatives so that they could discuss any issues or make recommendations for improvements to how the service was run.