Abbey Court Care Home - Leek

Updated 12 March 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on Monday 07 March 2022 and was unannounced.

Updated 12 March 2022

About the service

Abbey Court is a residential care home that provides personal and nursing care for up to 52 people. The accommodation is provided in a single building, arranged over two floors, with communal facilities including dining rooms and lounges on both floors. At the time of our inspection, 47 people were using the service, some of whom were living with dementia.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The provider used management systems to identify and effectively manage risks to the quality and safety of the service. However, improvements were needed to ensure the audits and checks were consistently effective in identifying and rectifying any shortfalls.

People felt safe and were protected from the risk of harm by staff who understood their responsibilities to identify and report any signs of potential abuse. There was a consistent approach to safeguarding and any concerns were taken seriously and investigated thoroughly in an objective way.

Risks associated with people’s care and support were managed safely People received their prescribed medicines when needed and there were suitable arrangements in place in relation to the safe administration, recording and storage of medicines. There were enough, suitably recruited staff to meet people’s needs.

The service worked in partnership with other organisations and health and social care professionals, who were positive about the care and support people received. Staff received training and ongoing support to meet people’s individual needs. People were supported to have a varied and healthy diet and to access other professionals to maintain good health.

Staff knew people well and always promoted their dignity and independence. There was a kind and caring, inclusive atmosphere. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives, in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People’s care and support plans reflected their needs and preferences and were regularly reviewed. People’s diversity was recognised and promoted by the staff and systems were in place to meet people’s communication needs. People had opportunities to take part in activities and social events and were supported to follow their hobbies and spiritual beliefs. People and their families were well supported and staff provided compassionate and dignified end of their life care.

People and their relatives had no complaints but felt confident any issues raised would be resolved. There were systems in place to capture people’s views on how the service could be improved and these were acted on. Staff felt supported and valued by the management team.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 27 July 2018) and there were two breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations. The overall rating for the service has improved to Good.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.