Albemarle Hall Nursing Home

Ratings

• Overall

  Good

• Safe

  Good

• Effective

  Good

• Caring

  Good

• Responsive

  Good

• Well-led

  Requires improvement

Our view of the service

Albemarle Hall Nursing Home is a nursing home providing personal and nursing care to younger and older adults with support needs for dementia, mental health, physical disability and/or sensory impairment.

At the time of the assessment the service supported 25 people. The last assessment of Albemarle Hall Nursing Home was published 19 November 2019 the overall rating was good, with all key questions rated good. This assessment was completed due to the amount of time passed since the service’s last assessment. The overall rating remains good.

People received safe care and treatment and person-centred care. People’s nutrition and hydration needs were met. People were safe from the risks of abuse as staff understood safeguarding and risk management. People received their medicines safely. Not all cleaning procedures were fully effective. For example, the underside of some continence equipment was visibly unclean. Some environmental hazards were noted. For example, denture cleaning tablets were found in an individual’s bedroom and a wardrobe was not secured to the wall. These hazards were addressed by the provider immediately.

Care was based on best practice, with regular assessments and monitoring. Staff worked well with healthcare partners. People had capacity assessments completed where these were required.

People were supported by staff who were kind and caring and showed dignity and respect. Staff knew people well. Staff encouraged people to engage in activities.

Care was person-centred and care plans were robust and detailed around care needs and personal preferences. People were involved in decisions and complaints were managed appropriately.

Leadership promoted a positive culture and staff felt able to speak up. The home learned lessons where things went wrong and had an ongoing home development plan in place.

People's experience of this service

People and relatives highlighted the kindness and knowledge of the staff and management team. For example, one person told us “The staff here are great. It wasn’t a traumatic transition for him. The staff asked a lot of questions and got to know him really quickly.” Another relative told us “The staff are always talking to residents. I’ve heard a member of staff asking someone if she could wipe their mouth rather than just doing it.”

Not everyone living at the service was able to speak with us, therefore we also spent time observing interactions between staff and people using the short observational framework for inspection (SOFI). Staff were responsive to people’s needs with good interactions. Mealtimes were managed efficiently and there was a choice of food options.

Relatives generally praised the home and felt that their relatives in the home were safe. Relatives praised staff as being kind and caring and reported that communication from the home was good. One relative told us about a time when they were unable to visit their relative, “I couldn’t visit him. I was able to call the home though as often as I wanted. They always answered and I was made to feel very welcome.” Where people lacked capacity care plans had input from relatives. We observed staff offering choice to people as much as possible.

Overall people felt safe, well cared for and happy with the service.