During an assessment under our new approach
Date of Assessment: 1 April 2026 to 25 June 2026.
Abbott House – Oundle is a care home service without nursing providing support to older people and people living with dementia.
This assessment was prompted by information we held about this service. We carried out a comprehensive assessment and assessed a total of 33 quality statements.
At the time of our assessment there were 34 people using the service. As part of our assessment activity, we undertook on-site visits on 1 April 2026, 29 April 2026, 6 May 2026, 20 May 2026 and 4 June 2026.
This assessment was carried out by 2 inspectors, 1 operations manager and 1 Expert by Experience who had personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
During this assessment we spoke with people, and their relatives. We also spoke with staff including the area manager, deputy manager, administration support, maintenance staff, senior support workers, support workers, the cook and kitchen team and laundry staff.
The provider did not always ensure people were kept safe, but immediate risks following incidents were not consistently mitigated, staffing levels, particularly during evenings and bedtimes, were not always sufficient to meet people's needs or provide adequate supervision in communal areas. However, systems were in place to monitor and learn from incidents, safeguarding processes were understood and followed, some risks were addressed by the end of the assessment. Medicines were managed safely and the environment was clean and well maintained, infection risks were controlled, and people were supported by trained staff to remain as independent as possible while taking positive risks and accessing their community safely.
People’s needs were assessed, however, improvements were required in the ongoing monitoring of their needs to ensure care plans remained effective and people received person centred care. The provider had a good understanding of evidence based best practice, however, care was not always delivered as planned. The provider mostly worked well with other services, some healthcare professionals reported that sharing of information could be improved. People were not consistently supported to live healthier and reduce the risk of requiring further care and treatment.
The provider understood the importance of staff wellbeing on recruitment and retention and offered support packages for staff when needed.
People were treated equally and knew how to raise concerns or make complaints these were managed by the provider as per their policy and procedure. People were supported at end of life in the home if they wished.
The provider had clear values and took action where needed to ensure this was maintained. There was a capable and compassionate management team in post in the absence of a registered manager, however, systems and processes did not always support them to identify areas for improvement in the home. The provider was open and transparent and made some improvements during the assessment where we highlighted concerns.
We identified a breach of regulation in relation to good governance. This service has been rated Requires Improvement overall. We have asked the provider to submit an action plan in response to the concerns identified during this assessment.