Archived: Abbegale Lodge

Updated 19 April 2016

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 19 February 2016 and was unannounced.

The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector a specialist pharmacy advisor and an expert-by-experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the home. This included the Provider Information Return (PIR). A PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also looked at the notifications and other intelligence the Care Quality Commission had received about the home. We contacted the commissioners of the service to see if they had any updates about the home.

During the inspection we spent time with five people who were living at the home and two family members who were visiting their relatives at the time of our inspection. We also spoke with the manager, the senior care staff and three other care staff. We spoke with the chef. We also looked at three care files, three staff folders as well as other documentation relating to the running of the home. We looked around the building, including bathrooms, lounges the dining room and some people’s bedrooms.

Updated 19 April 2016

This unannounced inspection took place on 19 February 2016 and was unannounced. We completed this inspection to follow up on concerns we had received regarding medication issues and safeguardings which had recently taken place within the home. As part of this inspection we followed up these concerns.

Abbegale Lodge is a residential care home providing accommodation for up to 41 people. The home consists of two converted Victorian villas with a two storey modern extension and supports people with mental health and dementia care needs. There is a passenger lift in the main building with a stair lift in place at the other villa and extension. The service provides upper and ground floor accommodation. There is a large garden to the rear of all three buildings. It is within easy walking distance of The Strand shopping centre in Bootle

A manager was in post who was in the process of registering with CQC. A 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 a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Process relating to the safe administration of medications were in place within the home, and the home was addressing any issues to help mitigate risks.

People and relatives we spoke with told us they felt safe living at the home.

Risk assessments were in place and personalised.

The staff we spoke with were aware of what constituted abuse and how to report an alleged incident.

Recruitment procedures were robust to ensure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Systems were in place to maintain the safety of the home. This included health and safety checks of the equipment and building

Staff told us they were well supported in the home and had an induction when they first started work, and had regular supervision and appraisal.

People had a plan of care in place which was personalised and contained information such as their likes, dislikes and backgrounds.

The registered manager and the staff had knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and their roles and responsibilities linked to this. Staff support was available to assist people to make key decisions regarding their care.

The home had aids and equipment to meet people’s needs and promote their independence.

We found the home to be clean, warm and homely, although the décor required attention in some places. There was a strong smell of smoke which was present in most of the areas of the home.

Everyone told us the staff were caring and we could see evidence that the staff genuinely cared about the people they supported.

Food was fresh and home cooked. Everyone we spoke with told us that they enjoyed the food.

Staff worked well with health and social care professionals to make sure people received the care and

support they needed. Staff referred to outside professionals promptly for advice and support.

A process was in place for managing complaints and the home’s complaints procedure was available so people had access to this information.

People and relatives told us that the manager was approachable and supportive.

Staff were aware of the homes whistleblowing policy and told us they would not hesitate to report any concerns or bad practice.

Systems were in place to monitor the standard of the service and drive forward improvements. This included a number of audits for different areas of practice.