Archived: Abbeville Lodge

Updated 2 December 2017

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 3 October 2017 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of three inspectors, one of whom specialised in medicines.

Before we carried out the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service This included statutory notifications that the provider had sent us over the last year. A statutory notification contains information about significant events that affect people's safety, which the provider is required to send to us by law. We also liaised with the local authority.

Before the inspection, we had sent the provider a Provider Information Return (PIR). This 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. However, the provider did not ensure that this form was completed and returned. We also contacted the local authority for their views on the service.

During our inspection we spoke with five people living in the home. We also spoke with the manager, two care staff and the cook. We viewed the care records for two people in depth, records relating to incidents for seven people and the medicines records for all 17 people living in the home. We also looked at records in relation to the management of the home. These included the recruitment files for three staff members, staff training records, compliments and complaints, quality monitoring audits and minutes from meetings held.

Updated 2 December 2017

This inspection took place on 3 October 2017 and was unannounced. At the time of this October 2017 inspection there was one breach of regulations outstanding from our previous comprehensive inspection of April 2017. This was because people were not adequately supported with social engagement. This October 2017 inspection found that this concern still remained.

This October 2017 inspection also found that there had been a deterioration in the management of people’s medicines that had not been identified by the provider’s quality assurance systems. The service was not reporting safeguarding incidents to the Commission as required by legislation. These issues constituted three further additional breaches of regulations.

Abbeville Lodge provides accommodation and care for up to 20 older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. At the time of this inspection 17 people were living in the home.

There was not a registered manager in post. However, an experienced staff member had been managing the service since June 2017. They had not yet applied for registration with the Commission. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People felt safe living in the home. Risks to people’s welfare were appropriately planned for and managed. Staff understood about safeguarding and knew what action they would need to take if they had any concerns.

There were enough staff to meet people’s physical needs. It had been identified that some people’s needs were increasing and the provider was increasing staffing levels accordingly.

People felt that staff supporting them were competent and knew their individual needs and preferences. Most staff had received appropriate training and support to carry out their duties effectively. However, there were a few areas where training was out of date for some staff members.

Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible. Whilst improvements were required in some areas relating to the assessment of people’s mental capacity, there was an improvement on what we had found at our previous inspection in April 2017 in this area.

Staff were kind to people and respected their privacy. Staff enabled people to be as independent as possible. People, and their relatives where appropriate, were actively involved in the planning of their care.

People knew how to complain and were confident that any concerns would be listened to and acted upon appropriately.

The manager promoted an open culture in the home. People, their relatives and staff were invited to take part in discussions about the service.

Other than in relation to medicines administration, the quality assurance system in the service was robust. When shortfalls were identified they were acted upon. The manager had the support of people living in the home and the staff.

Whilst the ratings for the service remain unchanged, the additional breaches we found during this October 2017 inspection are not indicative that the provider is able to make or sustain the improvements necessary.