Avondene Care Home

Updated 30 April 2021

The inspection

This was a targeted inspection to check whether the provider had met the requirements of the Warning Notice in relation to Regulation 17 Good Governance of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Avondene Care Home 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 service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are 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. We sought an update from the local authority service improvement and safeguarding teams. 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 four members of staff including the registered manager, senior care assistant, care assistant and the cook. We made general observations throughout the inspection and received general feedback from two people.

We reviewed a range of records, this included quality assurance audits. We looked at records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We requested further information from the manager and provider, and this was supplied to us promptly.

Updated 30 April 2021

About the service

Avondene Care Home is registered to accommodate up to 11 people. At the time of our inspection there were 11 older people living in one adapted building in a residential area of Christchurch. Avondene care home does not provide nursing care.

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

People told us they were happy living at Avondene Care Home. However, we identified several shortfalls and governance systems were not robust enough to keep people and staff safe. Infection control procedures were either not in place or robust enough to fully protect people.

Potential risks to people's health and welfare had not been consistently assessed. There was not always guidance in place to support staff to reduce those risks. Records of the care people received were not always accurate or complete. Medicines were not always managed and stored safely.

People and their relatives thought they were treated with dignity and respect and people told us they were happy. We observed many kind interactions throughout the inspection. Encouraging independence was important to staff.

There were enough staff on duty and people told us they attended to their needs promptly. Staff told us they were happy working at the home and had confidence in the registered manager. Staff were recruited safely, and the necessary checks had been made. Safeguarding procedures were in place and followed; staff told us they were confident the manager would follow up on concerns raised.

Staff, people and their relatives felt involved in the home. However, this was limited throughout the pandemic and alternative arrangements had been made for contact and visiting. The home had links with various organisations; the manager said this had reduced during the year but was hoping to build on these in the future.

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 31 October 2019).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to infection control, medicines, dignity and the management of the service. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, caring and well-led only.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Avondene Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.

We have identified breaches in relation to the safe care and treatment of people and the management of the service at this inspection.

Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.