About the service Allington Court Care Home provides accommodation for up to 44 older people, including people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 31 people living at the home.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People who lived at Allington Court Care Home received care from a staff team who were all caring about delivering an individual based service. Staff knew each person well. People’s views were respected, and they were involved in everything that happened in the service.
People were happy and relatives trusted the staff team to look after their family members. One relative we spoke with told us, “We are very happy with the care, the staff are lovely, they know everybody’s name. Staff are caring and you can see that they care about the residents, the way that they are talking to the people that are here and all staff are approachable.”
Staff understood the risks to people and the measures in place to keep them safe. Systems were in place to manage people's medicines safely and to reduce the risks associated with the spread of infections.
Sufficient numbers of staff were employed to meet people's needs. Staff received training which gave them the necessary skills and knowledge to carry out their roles and meet people’s needs.
Staff delivered care and support that was personalised. Staff were kind, caring and motivated. People, their relatives and external professionals were complimentary about the care provided. Staff respected people’s privacy, dignity and independence and encouraged people to lead their life in the way they wanted to.
A health care professional commented, “The team are always organised, punctual in their attendance of rounds and the nurse conducting the rounds has a good knowledge of the clients and presents client needs professionally."
People were supported to maintain their health. Staff made referrals to health professionals when required. Staff were kind and caring and had developed good relationships with people using the service. People were supported to have maximum choice and control over 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.
People had access to food and drink based on their individual choice and preferences. People had access to a range of diverse activities that reflected their specific needs and interests.
Care plans were in place which guided staff to provide support that met people's needs which were in line with their preferences.
Systems in place ensured that people's risks were well managed, and lessons were learnt when things went wrong. There was an open culture within the service, where people and staff could approach the registered manager who acted on any concerns raised to make improvements to people's care. A relative told us, “They are quite approachable. If I had any complaints I would speak to (name), who is always in the office but we have not had to make any to date though.”
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 5 July 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.