Updated 4 April 2025
The assessment of Abbeyfield Lear House took place between 23 April and 14 May 2025. Abbeyfield Lear House is a care home that provides accommodation and personal care for up to 33 people. At the time of the assessment, 21 people were living at the home. Site visits were conducted on 23 and 24 April 2025, with the remainder of the assessment completed offsite. This was a planned comprehensive assessment carried out as part of the Care Quality Commission’s routine schedule of assessments.
During the assessment, two breaches of legal regulations were identified in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance. These breaches were specifically related to failures in medicines management, infection prevention and control, and safer recruitment practices which posed a risk to people's safety and demonstrated a lack of effective oversight and quality assurance processes. Systems designed to manage risk were not operating effectively, and governance arrangements required improvement. There was limited managerial oversight and accountability, which impacted the service’s ability to consistently identify, monitor, and respond to key risks in a timely manner. For example, the provider had been advised by the falls team to implement a chair sensor for one person to help prevent unwitnessed falls. However, this was not actioned, and the person continued to experience unwitnessed falls. Consequently, the provider was unable to consistently demonstrate that people received safe care and treatment.
As a result of these findings, the overall rating for the service is requires improvement. In instances where CQC has decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, this information will be published on the CQC website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded.
Staff were observed to be kind and respectful, and people appeared comfortable in their surroundings.