Archived: Abbeyvale Care Centre

Updated 26 July 2018

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 27 and 28 June 2018 and was unannounced. This meant the staff and the provider did not know we would be visiting. The inspection was carried out by an adult social care inspector and an expert by experience. The expert by experience had personal experience of caring for someone who used this type of care service.

Before we visited the home, we checked the information we held about this location and the service provider, for example, we looked at the inspection history, complaints and statutory notifications. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send to the Commission by law.

We contacted professionals involved in caring for people who used the service, including commissioners, safeguarding and infection control staff. We also contacted Healthwatch. Healthwatch is the local consumer champion for health and social care services. They give consumers a voice by collecting their views, concerns and compliments through their engagement work. Information provided by these professionals was used to inform the inspection.

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During our inspection, we spoke with 10 people who used the service and five relatives. We spoke with the registered manager, regional manager, deputy manager, five care staff, the activities co-ordinator, cook, kitchen assistant, laundry assistant, domestic, administrator and a visiting healthcare professional.

We looked at the personal care or treatment records of four people who used the service and observed how people were being cared for. We also looked at the personnel files for four members of staff.

We reviewed staff training and recruitment records. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service such as quality audits, surveys and policies.

Updated 26 July 2018

This inspection took place on 27 and 28 June 2018 and was unannounced. This meant the staff and the provider did not know we would be visiting. This was the first inspection of the service following the change in registration to a new provider for this location. Although the registration of the provider had changed, the service had the same staff and people living there, remained the same.

Abbeyvale Care Centre is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Abbeyvale Care Centre accommodates up to 42 older people, some of whom were living with dementia, others had personal care or mental health needs. On the day of our inspection there were 35 people using the service.

The home had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with 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.

The provider had an effective recruitment and selection procedure in place and carried out relevant checks when they employed staff.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty in order to meet the needs of people who used the service.

People who used the service and their relatives were complimentary about the standard of care at Abbeyvale Care Centre. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and helped to maintain people’s independence by encouraging them to care for themselves where possible.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

Care records showed people’s needs were assessed before they started using the service and care plans were written in a person-centred way and were reviewed regularly. Person-centred is about ensuring the person is at the centre of any care or support and their individual wishes, needs and choices are taken into account. Care plans were in place that recorded people’s plans and wishes for their end of life care.

People were protected from the risk of poor nutrition and staff were aware of people’s nutritional needs.

People had access to healthcare services and received ongoing healthcare support.

Activities were arranged for people who used the service based on their likes and interests and to help meet their social needs, in the home and within the local community.

The provider had effective procedures in place for managing the maintenance of the premises and appropriate health and safety checks were carried out. The home was clean, spacious and suitable for the people who used the service.

Accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded and risk assessments were in place. The registered manager understood their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding and staff had been trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults.

Appropriate arrangements were in place for the safe management and administration of medicines.

Staff were supported to provide care to people who used the service through a range of mandatory training, supervision and appraisal. Staff said they felt supported by the registered manager.

The provider had an effective complaints procedure in place and people who used the service and their relatives were aware of how to make a complaint.

The provider had an effective quality assurance process in place. People who used the service, relatives and staff were regularly consulted about the quality of the service through meetings and surveys.