Hendon home wins praise from relatives and approval of national care inspectors

Home news

Mar 18, 2014

Care UK’s Elmstead House care home in Hendon has been given the seal of approval by a national care watchdog, with relatives praising the home’s caring team members.

The team at the home works in partnership with Barnet Primary Care Trust to provide specialist care for people with dementia who also have the most complex care needs as well as offering sensitive and supportive end of life care.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) report, which follows an unannounced inspection of the home in Park Road, says that the relatives inspectors spoke to were happy with the care their family member was receiving, with one relative saying: "The staff phone me when my dad needs to see a doctor and then they call me back after, to tell me the outcome. This means I do not worry."

The inspectors examined the home and its records and interviewed team members, and residents before announcing that the home meets the Government’s five national standards of quality and safety which are:

• Treating people with respect and involving them in their care;
• Providing care, treatment & support that meets people's needs;
• Caring for people safely & protecting them from harm;
• Staffing; and
• Management.

All the relatives inspectors spoke to said the team were welcoming and knowledgeable about their relatives’ care, both when they spoke with staff in person or when they called the home.

The inspectors reported that the home’s food was presented well,  that residents appeared to enjoy it, and that the relatives they spoke to confirmed that the food in the home was good. One person said: "It's really good - the fish on a Friday is lovely, but if my dad does not like what's on offer, the cook will make him something different so he will never go hungry."

The inspectors also reported that the manager reviewed staffing levels constantly to ensure the service was able to provide safe and effective care to people from staff who have the skills and knowledge to ensure consistency of care.

Relatives also told the inspectors: "There always appears to be enough staff on when I visit my mum"; and "When I walk into the home I always see lots of staff around helping people - when I visit my dad he always looks well cared for." A resident told inspectors: "it's the same staff who look after me each day - they take their time with me, they are all nice and work very hard."

Home manager Diane Maddaford said: “Continuity of care is vital to wellbeing, especially with residents with memory issues. If they see the same faces every day they feel safe and confident. The carers also learn a great deal about the person and can understand their needs and what it is they might have forgotten, which is very reassuring and calming for the resident.

“I was also delighted that the inspection showed that residents and relatives feel the team is accessible, knowledgeable and they feel they can talk to us and we listen and care.”