We carried out a review of the data available to us about Abbotts Road on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Abbotts Road, you can give feedback on this service.
Abbotts Road is a residential care home providing personal to people with learning disabilities and/or autism. The service can provide support for up to four people. At the time of the inspection there were three people living in the home. Each person had their own bedroom on the first floor and all people enjoy shared use of the communal areas of the home and garden.
The service applied the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that was appropriate and inclusive for them. The home is located on a small residential road near to local shops and cannot be identified from outside as a care home.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People who used the service could not talk to us about their experience of living at the service and being cared for by staff. However, we spent time with them observing how staff supported them. We noted the relationships and interactions between staff and people living in the home were positive and relaxed. People were at ease in the company of staff.
We saw there were enough skilled staff on duty to meet peoples needs and provide them with support and attention they required to safely engage in activities known to be of interest to them. Some people liked to engage in light household tasks with staff support and supervision. People were supported to use community facilities and the transport provided in the home was well used to ensure everyone could participate and make use of community facilities and visit places of interest. Risks were well known by staff and safely managed. People received the medication and support they needed to keep them safe.
A varied and balanced diet was always provided for people in line with their preferences and dietary needs. Staff were well trained and knowledgeable about how people needed to be supported to keep well and to enjoy a good quality of life.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance to deliver good outcomes for people. These ensure people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes which include control, choice and independence. The support focussed on people having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent in line with their plans.
The registered manager and staff ensured people’s individual care and support needs were met. Reviews were regularly undertaken to help ensure positive outcomes could be provided for people. Regular contact with healthcare providers was maintained by staff in the home so the health and support needs of people could be monitored and acted upon as necessary.
Relatives of people expressed confidence in the registered manager and staff, they said they were well informed and updated by the home about all aspects of the care provided. Relationships between the registered manager and staff were positive and all said communication in the home was good with information about people shared in a timely manner. Regular audits and checks were conducted by the provider to maintain and check on the quality of the service provided.
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 (with the report published August 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.
We had the opportunity to talk directly with one person who lived at the home on the day of the inspection. We have therefore not used quotes within this report and the examples we have given are brief because we respect people's right to confidentiality.
People continued to be protected from the risk of harm by staff who understood the risks to people’s safety. People received care in ways which helped them to remain as safe as possible and supported them to try new things to enjoy. There was enough staff to care for people and to meet their needs. People received their prescribed medicines safely, and staff worked with health professionals to reduce the use of medicines when this benefited people.
The care that people received continued to be effective. Staff received training which matched the needs of people who lived at the home. Staff checked people wanted care before helping them. Support was available to people if they needed help making key decisions about their life, and relatives were consulted. People were supported to access to health care services so they would stay well and enjoyed their mealtime experiences.
People had built caring relationships with the staff supporting them and were encouraged to make their own decisions and these were respected by staff. People were treated with dignity and some people enjoyed maintaining and developing their independence, including preparing some of their own drinks.
People and their relatives’ and staff suggestions were listened to when people’s care was planned. Systems were in place to manage complaints, so the care provided to people would develop further. People’s spiritual and cultural needs were met and people were encouraged to spend time doing things they enjoyed, so their well-being was enhanced.
People’s relatives and staff told us communication with the registered manager and senior team was good. People, their relatives and staff were positive about the way the home was managed, and were comfortable to let the registered manager know their views on the care provided. The registered manager worked with people, their relatives and other organisations in an open way so people would enjoy the best well-being possible. Regular checks were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service, and action plans completed to drive through improvements in the care people received.
This inspection took place on 17 August 2015 and was unannounced. This is the first inspection of the home since it was registered with us in April 2014 under their new provider Voyage 1 Limited.
The home is registered to provide accommodation and personal care to up to four people at any time. The home provides care to adults with a learning disability and / or autistic spectrum disorders. At the time of our inspection there were four people living there.
The location is required to have a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run. At the time of this inspection the home had a registered manager in post. The registered manager shares their time between this home and another of the provider’s homes close by.
Staff had been trained to safeguard people from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks of harm to people receiving the service had been assessed and recorded. People’s medicine was administered safely.
Staffing levels were determined according to people’s needs. We found there were sufficient numbers of staff on shift to meet people’s needs. There were procedures in place to recruit suitable staff to work with people living at the home.
Staff were supported to gain the skills and knowledge to care and support people. Staff were inducted into their job role and received training. The provider protected the rights of people.
People were supported by staff to access health and social care professionals whenever needed. Staff followed the advice and guidance of health care professionals.
Staff were caring and treated people with dignity and respect.
People were relaxed with the staff supporting and interacting with them.
Relatives felt they could speak to the staff and the registered manager about any concerns that they had and that they would be listened to and their concern addressed.
The provider had quality assurance systems in place to monitor the care and support people received.