Ellacombe

Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's assessed needs. Recruitment checks, training and competency checks were in place.

“There were enough staff to safely meet people's assessed needs.” from the report

People and relatives mostly gave positive feedback, and inspectors saw staff treating people kindly and meaningfully.

“We observed kind and meaningful interactions between people and staff during our inspection.” from the report

The home had made sufficient improvements and was no longer in breach of the consent regulation. Capacity assessments and legal authorisations were generally recorded.

“We found sufficient improvements had been made, and the service was no longer in breach of regulation 11.” from the report

Inspectors were assured about infection prevention, equipment and outbreak arrangements. People and relatives also gave positive feedback about cleanliness.

“We were assured that the provider was responding effectively to risks and signs of infection.” from the report

The manager and staff responded to inspection feedback and made changes. Staff meetings and incident reviews were used to support learning.

“The registered manager was responsive to our feedback.” from the report

Some people were not repositioned as often as health professionals required. Skin checks and records had gaps, increasing the risk of pressure damage.

“People were not being repositioned in line with the frequencies stipulated by health care professionals to prevent them from developing skin pressure damage.” from the report

Some people could enter bedrooms and reach items such as lighters, tobacco, alcohol, food and craft materials without enough assessment or supervision.

“We also found batteries, craft, and gardening items, as well as food and alcohol not stored securely.” from the report

Cream application records had missing signatures. Guidance for medicines hidden in food or drink did not say what food or fluid could be used safely.

“Topical medication administration records contained gaps in staff signatures.” from the report

Records did not consistently show that additional calories were provided. Some people went up to 12 days without a bath or shower when their care plan required weekly showers.

“Where people required additional calories added to their diet, recording of this was inconsistent.” from the report

The home's audits had improved but still failed to identify several safety and care shortfalls. This meant management oversight was not reliable enough.

“We still found some areas of improvement in the quality and standards of people's care which had not been identified through the provider's own audits and checks in place.” from the report