Abbey Lea Care Home

We found the following examples of good practice.

• The service was clean and free from malodours. Staff regularly cleaned high risk areas such as door handles and grab rails to reduce the risk of people catching or spreading COVID-19. We spoke with the provider about how they could develop their approach to recording and auditing cleaning and IPC practices.

• Staff followed government guidance and used personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriately to help keep them and the people they supported safe.

• Staff and people who used the service were screened for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. They accessed regular testing and followed isolation procedures when necessary to help reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 within the service.

• Visitor restrictions were in place and followed current government guidance. There was a procedure to safely allow essential visitors into the service.

This inspection of Abbey Lea Care Home took place on 27 September 2017 and was unannounced. At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’.

Abbey Lea Care Home provides care and support to a maximum of 23 older people who may be living with dementia. The building is an old farmhouse with facilities on two floors, accessed by a passenger lift, and a single-storey extension to the rear. Some people had en-suite bedrooms and there was plenty of communal space in the form of two large lounges (one with dining space), a separate dining room, an entrance sitting-hall and other smaller seating areas. Two rooms were shared rooms, but the rest were single occupancy. The service had patio doors onto an enclosed courtyard with patio pavers, flower beds with a variety of well-kept plants for people to enjoy and seating areas.

The registered provider was required to have a registered manager in post. There was a registered manager that had been in post for six and a half years. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were protected from the risk of harm, as there were systems in place to manage safeguarding concerns. Staff were trained in safeguarding adults from abuse and understood their responsibilities with regards to safeguarding concerns. Risks were managed so that people avoided injury or harm. The premises were safely maintained and there was documentary evidence to show this. Staffing numbers were sufficient to meet people’s need and we saw that rosters cross referenced with the staff that were on duty. Recruitment systems were followed to ensure staff were suitable to support people. The management of medicines was safe.

Qualified and competent staff were employed and supervised by seniors or the registered manager. Their personal performance was checked at an annual appraisal. People’s mental capacity was appropriately assessed and their rights were protected. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were supported with nutrition and hydration to maintain their levels of health and wellbeing. The premises were suitably designed and furnished for providing care and support to older people and those living with dementia.

People received compassionate care from kind staff that knew about people’s needs and preferences. People were provided with information that helped them make choices, involved in their care and asked for their consent before staff undertook any support tasks. People’s wellbeing, privacy, dignity and independence were respected. This ensured people felt satisfied and were enabled to maintain control of their lives.

People were supported according to their person-centred care plans, which reflected their needs well and were regularly reviewed. Everyone we spoke with felt Abbey Lea Care Home provided support that was very responsive to people's needs. People engaged in an abundance of pastimes, activities and occupation if they wished to and were encouraged to maintain many of their daily living skills and abilities. The focus of the service was on activity and occupation at an appropriate level for people to achieve. There was an array of interesting visual displays around the premises, which promoted discussion and reminiscence, while daily activities and conversations evoked memories for people. People had very good family connections and support networks and families were also very well supported. The service had an effective complaint system and complaints were investigated without bias.

The service was well-led and people had the benefit of a positive and inclusive culture. The management style of the registered manager was founded on teamwork, collaboration and inclusion. An effective system was in place for checking the quality of the service using audits, satisfaction surveys and meetings. People made their views known through discussion, behaviour and exercising independence. People’s confidentiality was maintained as records were held securely on the premises.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We saw that people were encouraged to make decisions for themselves or were supported by the staff to make decisions about how they wanted to spend their time. We observed staff treating people kindly and with dignity.

People had care plans and risk assessments in place which helped staff to understand and meet their needs.

People's dietary needs were assessed and these continued to be monitored. The food provided looked appetising and snacks and drinks were made available at any time. People said "The food is good." and "The food is always tasty."

Medicines were prescribed and given to people appropriately; we saw people were given the right medicine, in the right way and at the right time on the day of our inspection.

We saw staff received training and support which helped provide them with the skills they needed to be able to look after people safely.