Eden Cottage Care Home

People told us they felt safe living at the home and relatives spoke positively about the care and support provided. We observed kind, respectful and unhurried interactions between staff and people. People were supported by enough staff who had the skills and knowledge to support them safely. Staffing levels were stable, with no agency use, and staff described feeling well supported by visible and approachable leaders. Risks were assessed and people were involved in the process. There were effective systems in place to safeguard people from abuse. Medicines were administered safely. The environment was clean and well maintained, with appropriate safety checks completed.

People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes, this can be done through a procedure called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and how they managed DoLS within the service. We found that staff and management worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) authorisations were appropriately applied for and overseen. MCA records needed improvement to ensure they were always issue specific and appropriately detailed.

Care plans were in place and covered key areas of people’s needs and risks. However, some care records would benefit from further improvement to ensure these reflected changes in people’s needs, such as deterioration of verbal communication. We fed this back and the registered manager agreed to review these records straight away. Staff supported people appropriately and had detailed knowledge of people’s needs, a professional told us, “Staff are very approachable and knowledgeable.”

There were effective checks and governance processes in place. The management had a clear commitment to creating a positive and supportive culture. Leaders were qualified and experienced, they ensured learning was embedded into practice and used to develop the service.