Abbeygate

Ratings

• Overall

  Requires improvement

• Safe

  Requires improvement

• Effective

  Good

• Caring

  Good

• Responsive

  Good

• Well-led

  Requires improvement

Our view of the service

Date of Assessment: 4 December to 13 December 2024. The service is a residential care home providing care and accommodation to older people including those living with dementia. The service could accommodate up to 20 people. The service had undertaken significant change in recent months. We assessed quality statements in the safe, and well-led key questions. At the last inspection, the service was rated requires improvement, during this assessment the rating remains the same for the key questions we assessed. The ratings for the key questions we did not assess remain good. We found breaches of 2 legal regulations concerning governance and safe care and treatment.

Governance and oversight systems had not identified shortfalls we identified or ensured that necessary action was taken when internal audits had identified areas for improvement. People’s health and safety risks were not always assessed and mitigated.

Staff reported incidents and accidents to managers and followed policy and procedure. We observed staff were competent in supporting people with their specific needs however, staff training had not been completed in some areas. We found staff training records had not been kept up to date. Staff supervision and appraisals were being carried out however this was not being provided in line with the provider’s policy. The management team took action to rectify these issues.

Recruitment processes had been carried out effectively. We observed there were enough staff during assessment of the service and staff told us the management team supported and listened to them. Staff were observed to be competent in administration of medicines however not all staff administering medicines had completed training within the past year in line with national guidance.

Staff worked with all agencies involved in people’s care for the best outcomes and smooth transitions when moving services. Staff and people felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Managers worked with the local community and supported people to access health appointments. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to some of the concerns we found at this assessment.

People's experience of this service

People and those important to them were satisfied with the quality of their care and told us they felt safe, and staff were kind and caring. People told us they had access to a GP should they need one. Whilst people were generally positive about living at Abbeygate Care Home we received mixed feedback about staffing and the environment of the home. Some people told us they often had to wait for assistance, while some relatives told us there were enough staff available. Some people told us the environment was cluttered and in need of refurbishment. People felt able to raise any concerns and were confident action would be taken, and improvements would be made.

People described how staff treated them kindly and made sure any personal care was provided sensitively, preserving their privacy and dignity. Some people could not directly tell us about their experience. We used a structured observation tool to assess whether they received good care. This approach showed people were included and listened to and most staff interacted positively with them, however we did observe some staff being task orientated with little interaction with people.