A care home has been told it needs to improve, particularly with leadership and safety, despite praise for its kind and compassionate staff, good care and new manager.
The Care Quality Commission gave the Elton Hall Care Home an overall “requires improvement” rating. The residential home, which supports older and younger people including those living with dementia or a mental need in Elton near Stockton, was given requires improvement ratings for leadership and safety – down from “good” previously – and was rated good for being effective, caring and responsive. It says it has “acted promptly and decisively” and “made significant and sustained progress”.
The health and social care regulator found the home gave people “compassionate and timely support”. They said staff were passionate, committed, qualified, trained, skilled and experienced, got to know residents, always treated them with kindness, dignity, empathy and respect, and met their needs with care, support and treatment when they needed it.
They said in their report: “People told us they felt safe and staff responded to their needs. A person told us, ‘I feel safe living here, yes. The staff know me well and they are respectful to me.'”
Inspectors said most people and relatives were happy with staffing and activities, people spoke highly of the management. They found improvement in several areas with a new manager working to tackle shortfalls, but found “ongoing issues with the management of medicines and the safety of the environment”, out-of-date or incomplete care files information: “While risks to individuals were generally well explored, we found ongoing risks to people due to record keeping and the environment.”
They found a “positive and inclusive culture” and shared vision where staff were treated fairly and could speak up, with confidence in the management who “do very well, they sort things out”. One relative said: “The manager and deputy have made a huge difference, the rooms are decorated, everything is available, they make people feel at ease. They are getting on with the job and I’m feeling extremely reassured.”
‘I am as safe as I can be’
However the CQC found governance issues. They said: “The home had not consistently had capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders.
“They did not act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate… We found issues with the premises, medicines and with records that had not been either identified or addressed by the provider.”
One person told inspectors: “I am safe as I can be.” They said: “Staff concentrated on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. People told us they felt safe living at the home and that they felt staff would act on any concerns raised.”
But inspectors said safety needed to improve. They said the home established safe systems of care, “however they did not always manage or monitor people’s safety” and “systems did not consistently support safe practice”. They added some risks were not fully explored or addressed, and while staff provided safe and supportive care, “this was not always effectively and consistently planned or recorded”.
‘Shortfalls in governance’
They found some accessible areas posed potential risks, with doors left unlocked and open, including “areas of the garden with uneven paving and rubble and an upper floor of the home used for storage”. They said the home “did not always assess or manage the risk of infection”, with bathrooms and shower rooms needing repair and redecoration, and worn and stained chairs and carpets. They said: “The provider did not always ensure medicines were safely managed and administered.”
They said the home was working to an improvement plan but “did not always focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement”. But they said people’s care and treatment was effective and teams and services worked well to support people to live healthier, more independent lives: “Although there were shortfalls in governance at the home, people told us they received good care that met their expectations.”
They said the home promoted people’s independence, listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes, responded quickly to people needing help, cared about staff wellbeing, supplied appropriate, accurate, up-to-date information and made it easy to give feedback and raise complaints: “The home received very few negative comments or complaints and any received were responded to.
“The management team ensured people’s social and healthcare needs were fully considered and met. People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.”
‘No evidence of harm’
A spokesman for Bondcare, which runs the home, said: “We welcome the opportunity to respond to the CQC report and highlight its positive findings about Elton Hall Care Home. The CQC recognised compassionate, timely and personalised care, with residents treated with kindness, dignity, respect and empathy.
“Residents and relatives spoke positively about the care, food, activities, and social opportunities. Despite concerns raised, the report recognised a positive and inclusive culture, confidence in the new management team, responsive leadership, and strong relationships with healthcare professionals.
“Importantly, the CQC found no evidence of harm to people. We remain committed to building on these strengths and providing a safe, caring, and welcoming home.
“We take the findings of the CQC assessment seriously and have acted promptly and decisively to address the areas identified. Since the inspection, Elton Hall Care Home has made significant and sustained progress across the service.
“This includes strengthening medicines management, governance, and managerial oversight, alongside continued improvements to the environment and the quality and accuracy of record keeping. We are proud of the progress achieved to date and remain committed to building on these improvements.
“Our ongoing focus is to ensure that Elton Hall Care Home provides a safe, caring, welcoming, and high-quality environment where every resident feels valued, respected, and fully supported.”
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