The inspection took place on 22 and 23 May 2018 and was unannounced. Abbey Court Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. It can accommodate up to 52 people in one adapted building, split into two floors with one unit on each floor. There were 42 people using the service at the time of our inspection.There was a registered manager in post registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.
At this inspection we identified breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.
People were not always protected from alleged abuse as incidents had not always been reported to the local safeguarding authority.
Quality assurance systems in place had failed to identify some issues and timely action had not always been taken. Some staff felt the system the care plans were recorded on was not always ideal.
The management of medicines was not always safe; however they were being stored appropriately. We have made a recommendation that best practice guidance is considered in the management of medicines.
Risks were not always assessed and planned for, such as for people with behaviour that could challenge. Also, plans did not always have sufficient detail about people’s specific health conditions. More robust care plans for people coming towards the end of their life were needed. Consideration had been given to support with protected characteristics but further work was required.
The principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) were not always being followed as an appropriate level of detail was not always recorded, a person without the legal authority had signed consent and reviews had not always taken place.
We saw one person was not supported appropriately with their drinks which left them at risk. However, we saw many other people who were supported appropriate with their food and drink. People enjoyed the food and had a choice.
Staff felt supported and received training to support people effectively; however, improvements were needed to ensure all potential safeguarding concerns were reported appropriately.
People did not have to wait long for support. Staff had mixed views about staffing but action had been taken by the registered manager and provider to try to improve this.
People felt safe and staff had appropriate checks to ensure they were suitable to work with the people who lived in the home. People also felt the staff were kind and caring and that they were treated with dignity and respect. People were encouraged to be independent and make choices about their own care. People could choose where to spend their time and visitors could come at any time.
Accidents and incidents were monitored by the registered manager to reduce the likelihood of them reoccurring.
People were helped to keep healthy and well as infection control measures were followed. People were supported to access other health professionals when appropriate.
The building was adapted to meet people’s needs with a pleasant environment, with further improvements planned. People were also supported to partake in activities.
People, relatives and staff felt the management team were approachable and could go to them if they needed to. They were asked for their opinion, sometimes in a meeting or on a survey, in order to improve care and support and feedback was acted upon. People were able to complain and complains were investigated and responded to.
The registered manager had notified the CQC about events they were required to by law, such as if someone had passed away in the home, and the rating was clearly being displayed as required.