• Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: Abbey Retirement Home

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

348 Winchester Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO16 6TW (023) 8070 2671

Provided and run by:
Mr & Mrs R C Northover

All Inspections

16 February 2022

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Abbey Retirement Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to 14 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The care home accommodates up to 15 people in one adapted building across two floors.

We found the following examples of good practice.

The home was clean and hygienic. Staff completed enhanced cleaning of frequently touched surfaces, which helped to promote good infection control. The provider had recently replaced carpet in communal areas with vinyl flooring. The registered manager told us this helped promote good hygiene as it was easier to keep clean.

The home had a suitable system in place to support relatives and friends to visit people living in the home during the COVID-19 pandemic. We received very positive feedback from a relative about the steps the registered manager had taken to facilitate visits and promote their family members safety throughout the course of the pandemic.

The provider had put measures in place to minimise the impact of workforce challenges related to the Covid-19 pandemic. The registered manager reported that workforce pressures did not impact on the quality of care people received. The provider had recognised staff’s dedication and commitment throughout the pandemic with additional rewards and recognition schemes linked to their positive working practices.

There was a good supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) available. We observed staff wearing appropriate PPE in the correct way.

Tests for COVID-19 were being carried out in line with government guidance, for both staff and people living in the home.

13 March 2019

During a routine inspection

About the service:

¿ Abbey Retirement Home is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and

personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided. Both were looked at during this inspection.

¿People living at Abbey Retirement Home were aged over 65 and had nursing care needs. Some people were living with dementia.

¿ Abbey Retirement Home is registered to provide care for up to 15 people. At the time of inspection there were 13 people using the service.

¿ Accommodation is spread over two floors. Bedrooms were a mixture of single and dual occupancy.

¿ For more details, please see the full report which is on the Care Quality Commission website at

www.cqc.org.uk

People's experience of using this service:

¿ People received care that was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.

¿ People and their relatives consistently provided positive feedback about all aspects of the care they received.

¿ People received safe care and were protected from the risk of suffering harm. The provider mitigated risks associated with people's health and ensured there was a safe environment for people to live in.

¿ Staff received appropriate training and support in their role.

¿ There was a warm and homely atmosphere at the service. Staff were caring and knowledgeable about people’s needs, treating them with dignity and respect.

¿ People received responsive care in line with their needs and preferences, including in relation to their health and nutrition.

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

¿The registered manager had effective systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service.

Rating at last inspection:

¿ At the last inspection the service was rated Good (15 October 2016).

Why we inspected:

¿ This was a planned inspection to check that this service remained Good.

Follow up:

¿ We did not identify any concerns at this inspection. We will therefore re-inspect this service within our published timeframe for services rated good. We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.

13 September 2016

During a routine inspection

The inspection took place on 13 September 2016 and was unannounced. Abbey Retirement Home provides accommodation and support for up to 15 older people with mental health needs or people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 14 people living at the home.

The home had a registered manager who has been registered since October 2014. 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 at Abbey Retirement Home and they were very much at the heart of the service. The risks to people were minimized through risk assessments. There were plans in place for foreseeable emergencies.

Relevant recruitment checks were conducted before staff started working at Abbey Retirement Home to make sure they were of good character and had the necessary skills. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and knew how to identify, prevent and report abuse. There were enough staff to keep people safe.

People were supported to take their medicines safely from suitably trained staff. People received varied meals including a choice of fresh food and drinks. Staff were aware of people’s likes and dislikes and went out of their way to provide people with what they wanted.

Staff received regular support and one to one sessions of supervision to discuss areas of development. They completed a wide range of training and felt it supported them in their job role.

Staff sought consent from people before providing care and support. The ability of people to make decisions was assessed in line with legal requirements to ensure their rights were protected and their liberty was not restricted unlawfully.

People were cared for with kindness, compassion and sensitivity. Care plans provided comprehensive information about how people wished to receive care and support. This helped ensure people received personalised care in a way that met their individual needs.

People were supported and encouraged to make choices and had access to a range of activities. Staff knew what was important to people and encouraged them to be as independent as possible. ‘Residents meetings’ and surveys allowed people to provide feedback, which was used to improve the service.

A complaints procedure was in place. There were appropriate management arrangements in place. Regular audits of the service were carried out to assess and monitor the quality of the service.

23 & 25 June 2015

During a routine inspection

The inspection took place on 23 & 25 June 2015 and was unannounced. Abbey Retirement Home provides accommodation and care for up to 15 older people with mental health needs or people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 14 people living at the home.

The home had a registered manager who has been registered since October 2014. 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.’

We found people’s safety was compromised in some areas. Infection control guidance issued by the Department of Health was not followed and the risks of cross infection were not managed effectively. The sluice room was being used to store some small items of people’s personal clothing. The recommended process for dealing with clean linen was not used.

Staff sought consent from people before providing care or support. The ability of people to make decisions was assessed in line with legal requirements to ensure their liberty was not restricted unlawfully. Decisions were taken in the best interests of people. However, we had not been informed where a person had a Deprivation of Liberty safeguarding authorisation in place.

People were supported to receive their medicines safely from suitably trained staff. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Relevant checks were conducted before staff started working at Abbey Retirement Home to make sure staff were of good character and had the necessary skills.

People received varied and nutritious meals including a choice of fresh food and drinks. Staff were aware of people’s likes and dislikes and offered alternatives if they did not want the menu option of the day.

People were cared for with kindness, compassion and sensitivity. Staff members knew about people’s lives and backgrounds and used this information to support them effectively. Support was provided in accordance with people’s wishes.

People (and their families where appropriate) were involved in assessing, planning and agreeing the care and support they received. People were encouraged to remain as independent as possible. Their privacy and dignity was protected.

Care plans provided comprehensive information about how people wished to receive care and support. This helped ensure people received personalised care in a way that met their individual needs.

People were supported and encouraged to make choices and had access to a wide range of activities tailored to their specific interests. ‘Residents meetings’ and surveys allowed people to provide feedback, which was used to improve the service.

Staff sought consent from people before providing care or support. The ability of people to make decisions was assessed in line with legal requirements to ensure their liberty was not restricted unlawfully. Decisions were taken in the best interests of people. However, we had not been informed where a person had a Deprivation of Liberty safeguarding authorisation in place.

People liked living at the home and felt it was well-led. There was an open and transparent culture with people able to access the community as part of their daily activities. There were appropriate management arrangements in place and staff and people told us they were encouraged to talk to the registered manager about any concerns.

We identified one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, and one breach of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009.

You can see what action we have told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

29 August 2013

During a routine inspection

At the time of our visit there were 13 people using the service. We spoke with five of them. They were all satisfied with the care and support provided. One told us, 'Everything is done properly.' Others said they had 'no problems.' They told us they had agreed to their care plans and care was provided according to their needs and with their consent. We observed the care and support given to people in the communal areas of the home. We saw that staff were friendly and caring, aware of people's needs and preferences, and responsive to them.

We spoke with staff and reviewed records related to people's care and the management of the service. We found people's care needs were assessed and their care plans reflected their needs. Care and support were delivered according to plans which were reviewed regularly. If people were not able to consent to their care, arrangements were made to ensure decisions were made in their best interests.

Procedures were in place to monitor and assess the quality of the service provided. There was an effective complaints process. Appropriate measures were in place to maintain cleanliness and prevent the spread of infections. People's medicines were managed and handled properly.

In this report the name of a registered manager appears who was not in post and not managing the regulated activity at this location at the time of the inspection. Their name appears because they were still a Registered Manager on our register at the time.

26 April 2012

During a routine inspection

Residents at Abbey Retirement Home told us that they were very happy living there.

One resident told us that they were very concerned when they had to move to Abbey Retirement Home as they had to come some distance and did not know what to expect. They told us that they were very happy at Abbey House and referred to their experience in the home as 'Champion'