Emsworth House Care Home with Nursing

This report details the findings of an inspection of Emsworth House Care Home with Nursing. The inspection focused on assessing the safety, effectiveness, caring nature, responsiveness, and overall leadership of the service. While the home has systems in place to protect residents, the inspection identified several areas where improvements are needed to ensure consistent high-quality care.

On safety, the home has robust safeguarding procedures and safe recruitment practices. However, there were concerns regarding insufficient staffing levels, leading to delays in meeting resident needs, and risks were not always effectively assessed or managed, particularly concerning falls and fluid intake. Medication management also required improvement, with inconsistencies in record-keeping and storage.

In terms of how effective the care is, residents are supported to make choices and their care is generally provided in their best interests. However, not all staff have completed essential training, impacting their ability to effectively support residents with specialist needs. Improvements are also needed to ensure residents receive the right support during mealtimes for a more enjoyable experience.

Regarding the caring aspect, residents and their relatives spoke positively about the kindness of permanent staff, and observations confirmed caring interactions. The home is working towards a more person-centred culture, and staff feel supported by management.

Concerning responsiveness, the service collaborates well with external professionals to ensure joined-up care and good health outcomes. Residents receive adequate food and drink, though support at mealtimes could be enhanced.

Finally, on how well-led the service is, the registered manager is committed to making necessary improvements and is open and honest about challenges. However, quality assurance systems have not been fully effective in identifying and addressing concerns, and there's a need to embed improvements to ensure sustained safety and quality. The home is actively recruiting to build a more permanent staff team.