Background to this inspection
Updated
14 September 2021
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 conducted 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
Annabel House Care Centre is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The manager had changed since the last inspection. The manager was not yet registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means the provider is 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. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We spoke with three people and six staff members which included the manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medicine records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, infection prevention and control systems and audits were reviewed.
After the inspection
The Expert by Experience spoke to eight relatives.
Updated
14 September 2021
About the service
Annabel House Care Centre is a care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 30 people aged 65 and over. At the time of the inspection there were 21 people living at the home. The service is laid out over two floors, with communal areas such as two lounges and a dining room on the ground floor.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Changes had been made to COVID-19 testing systems and audits to ensure risks to people were managed and reduced.
People were happy and felt safe at the service. 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.
The service was clean, homely and well maintained. There was a happy and friendly atmosphere.
People were supported by staff who were kind and caring. People were treated with dignity and respect. People’s healthcare needs were met. Medicines were managed and administered safely.
Staff were responsive to people’s needs and knew them well. Care plans were person centred and supported people to retain their independence. Staff were supported in their roles by an induction, supervision and regularly training.
There was an open culture where feedback was welcomed. Audits monitored the quality of the service and improvements were made as needed. The service was well-led and managed.
We made a recommendation around supporting accessible communication.
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
This service was registered with us on 22/07/2019. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 23/08/2018.
The service was rated requires improvement in the domains of safe and well-led (published 12 April 2021). An overall rating was not given at the time as the service had not been inspected across all five domains, due to CQC methodology in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The service was found to be in breach of Regulation 17 (good governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. 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 inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.
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.