Elcombe House in Bedford is a residential care home that provides personal and nursing care to adults.
The residential home was rated Outstanding for being effective, caring, responsive and well-led following the inspection, 5 & 7 September 2019.
It received a Good score for the safe category.
Staff told CQC inspectors that 'virtual dementia training' had helped them understand people's experiences and led to them introducing innovative ways of supporting people. This included playing relaxing music during mealtimes which had been proven to help some people eat and drink more. Staff had also reduced noise levels as this had been proven to cause distress for some people. Staff said they were more aware of the how noise coming from televisions and radios could confuse or disorientate some people, so they had actively worked to ensure there was a calm atmosphere which avoided sudden loud noises and/or movements.
One person who had very specific likes and dislikes about food was supported to make choices and be in control of this area of their support. The resident commented, ''I am a fussy eater, but they always give me a huge choice of what to eat. They always explain to me exactly what is in each meal choice and what else I can have instead. This helps me so much.”
Staff were proactive at finding new ways to support people to continue to live the life they wanted despite changes in their needs. There were many examples including supporting people to continue to socialise when they could easily have withdrawn and become isolated. Changes had been made to access the garden so a person could continue to enjoy their hobby. This person explained, ''I was getting tired going up and down the chair lift. Now I can just go in my wheelchair and use the ramp. I can go to the garden whenever I want which is really important to me. Just gives me that piece of mind and I am now much more comfortable. I was going to stay in my room but now I have the ramp I can go out whenever I want. It's fantastic.''
A professional said, ''Elcombe House is such a great place. Just the feel of it and how the staff support people with a smile on their face. It is just perfect for people living there.''
