Archived: Allingham House Care Centre

Updated 21 January 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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 November 2014 and was unannounced.

The team consisted of a lead inspector, a specialist advisor who was a registered nurse 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. The expert was experienced in nursing and dementia care.

Before the inspection we looked at the information we held about the service. We were unable to review the provider’s information return (PIR) as this document had not been completed at the time of the inspection. This information was sent to us following on from our visit.

We contacted the community mental health team, the council and the clinical commissioning group for their feedback about the service.

We spoke with 17 people who used the service, nine visiting relatives, 11 members of staff including hospitality staff, kitchen staff, care staff, senior staff and nurses, the registered manager, the deputy manager and the provider. We also spoke with a visiting dietician.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experiences of people who cannot tell us about their care.

We reviewed six people’s care records in detail. We looked at staff recruitment, training, supervision and appraisal arrangements. We also looked at records and arrangements for managing complaints and monitoring and assessing the quality of the service provided by Allingham House Care Centre

Updated 21 January 2015

This inspection took place on 19 November 2014 and was unannounced which meant the provider and staff did not know we were visiting. The last full inspection took place on 5 July 2013 during which we found the service was meeting the regulations we looked at.

Allingham House Care Centre provides nursing and personal care for up to 86 older people, some of whom were living with dementia. The home accommodates people over three floors. There were 84 people living at the home on the day of our inspection.

The home is required to have a registered manager. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager who had been in post since the home opened in 2012. 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 legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The registered manager had kept us informed of safeguarding incidents and other notifiable events which had occurred in the home in line with their statutory obligations.

We found the home to be well maintained, clean, and had relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The registered manager and deputy manager had a positive presence within the home and were well received by people who used the service, their families and staff.

People and their families told us they were happy to speak with staff if they had any concerns.

People we spoke with, who lived at Allingham House said, “The staff are kind, I like the banter I can have with them” and “I don’t really have to wait long if I call them, nothing is too much trouble.”

We conducted observations on all three levels of the home and on each level saw people were treated equally and with respect. Staff were patient and took time to listen to the people they were supporting.

We found the mealtime experience was pleasant and consideration was given to the dietary requirements for people of the Jewish faith.