Archived: The Albany Care Home

The Albany is a care home providing personal and nursing care to 37 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 38 people. The service is in one adapted building over two floors. The service supported people who were discharged from hospital and required support with rehabilitation prior to returning to their own homes. These were referred to as ‘hub beds’.

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

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 did not always support this practice. We have made a recommendation about ensuring staff understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA)

People enjoyed living at The Albany. They felt safe and well-cared for. People were supported to manage risks. There were enough staff to ensure people’s needs were met. Medicines were managed safely by staff who were trained and competent. The environment was clean and well maintained.

People were supported to access specialist health professionals when needed. The service worked closely with multidisciplinary teams to ensure people’s needs were met. People were supported by staff who were well-trained and supported by the management team. There was a wide variety of food available. Individual dietary needs and preferences were met.

Staff treated people with kindness and compassion, valuing them as unique individuals. People were always included in decisions about their care and choices were respected. Staff were respectful and ensured people’s dignity and privacy was protected.

People enjoyed a wide variety of activities, which clearly had a positive impact on their well-being. Care plans were accurate and up to date. They included information about people’s histories, likes and dislikes. Staff used this information to provide person-centred care. Where people wished to discuss it, end of life wishes were included. Complaints were dealt with in line with the complaints policy.

There was a committed management team in place who valued everyone’s contribution to the service. There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service. People, relatives and staff were able to comment on the service and action was taken as a result.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 22 December 2016).

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.

The Albany Care Home supports people with personal and nursing needs. The home is registered for 37 people. At the time of our inspection there were 34 people living in the home.

A new manager was in post. The manager had submitted an application to become the registered manager with the Care Quality 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 were positive about living in the home. People and relatives were complimentary about the new manager and the changes they had made to improve the service. There was an open and honest culture that encouraged people, relatives and staff to raise concerns and comment on the quality of the service. Staff were knowledgeable about their responsibilities to raise concerns relating to safeguarding of vulnerable adults.

There was a cheerful, relaxed atmosphere throughout the inspection and it was clear people had developed meaningful relationships with staff. We saw many kind and compassionate interactions which demonstrated staff knew people well.

Where risks to people were identified there were management plans in place to manage the risks. Staff followed guidance to ensure risks were managed.

The manager and staff were knowledgeable about their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People were supported in line with the principles of the act.

Staff felt well supported and valued. Staff received regular supervision and were supported to access development opportunities to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people's needs.

People were complimentary about the food and were encouraged to give regular feedback to the chef. Where people had specific dietary requirements, these were met. Staff supported people to eat their meals where they chose and gave individual support where this was required.

Health and social care professionals were positive about the management of the home and told us people were referred appropriately when their condition changed. Records showed people had access to a range of health professionals.

There was a range of activities available to people and we saw people enjoying activities during our visit. People who remained in their room were visited regularly to prevent social isolation.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the service. This included a range of audits which identified areas of improvement and how those improvements would be made.