Archived: Allison House

Updated 13 July 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector 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.

Service and service type

Allison House 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.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service and nine relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with thirteen members of staff including the chief operating officer, registered manager, deputy manager, nurses, care workers, agency care staff, kitchen staff and housekeeping staff. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We reviewed documents sent by the registered manager to show what actions had been taken in response to initial feedback. We spoke with one professional who regularly visits the service and received written feedback from two others.

Updated 13 July 2019

About the service

Allison House is a residential nursing home providing personal and nursing care to 34 people living with dementia at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 38 people in a building that was built specifically for this purpose.

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

People’s medicines were ordered, stored and disposed of safely. Medicine records were not always fully completed. This had been identified by the provider and steps were being taken to improve this. Guidance around the administration of medicines that were given covertly (hidden in food or drinks) was not always followed correctly. We have made a recommendation about the management of covert medicines.

People were supported by well trained staff. Mealtimes were relaxed and people were supported to eat and drink enough to keep them healthy. When people required access to health care this was arranged to ensure the best outcome for the person’s wellbeing. The service had been thoughtfully decorated and adapted to encourage both independence and interaction.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Care was delivered with dignity and respect. Relatives were happy with their family member’s care and felt well informed and included in decisions.

People’s care plans contained detailed information to ensure their individual needs and preferences had been considered. They were reviewed regularly to reflect any changes. Staff did their best to ensure people were not socially isolated and provide activities they enjoyed.

There was a calm, friendly atmosphere and relatives felt welcomed. There was a procedure in place for addressing complaints and a new system had been introduced to record and monitor low level concerns.

An effective system of checks and audits was in place. People and staff were regularly consulted about the quality of the service.

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 June 2018) and there was one breach 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.

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.