Archived: Abiden Care

Updated 28 August 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Abiden Care is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with CQC. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. There had been some changes to the management of the home; changes to the registration of the home were underway. In the absence of the provider, a nominated personal representative and the registered manager were taking reasonable action to ensure the service was registered with us. In the interim, the personal representative was legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection, we looked at the information we held about the service. This information included statutory notifications the provider had sent to CQC. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We also contacted local authority commissioners and asked them for their views about the service. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During our inspection, we spent time in the communal areas observing how staff provided support for people to help us better understand their experiences of the care they received. We spoke with six people living in the home and with three relatives. We also spoke with the registered manager, the nominated personal representative, three staff members and a healthcare professional.

We had a tour of the premises and looked at a range of documents and written records. These included three people's records related to their care and support, two staff recruitment records, staffing rotas, training, induction and supervision records, minutes from meetings and complaints and compliments records. We also looked at maintenance and servicing certificates and records related to the auditing and monitoring of service.

After the inspection

We contacted a healthcare professional for their views on the service. We also asked the lead nurse from the infection prevention and control team to contact the service to offer support and advice. Following the inspection, we asked the registered manager to send us information about nutritional assessments, financial matters and training. This was sent to us in a timely manner.

Updated 28 August 2019

About the service

Abiden Care is a residential care home providing personal care and support to 22 people aged 65 and over, some of who were living with dementia. The service does not provide nursing care. At the time of the inspection, there were 22 people living in the home.

The home is an older style property located in a residential area in Burnley. Accommodation is provided in 18 single rooms and two shared rooms on two floors, 10 of the bedrooms have an ensuite facility. CCTV was in operation in the communal areas of the home.

Prior to the inspection, we were made aware of changes to the registration of the home. In the absence of the provider, there was a nominated personal representative and the registered manager who were taking reasonable action to ensure the service was registered with us.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were happy about the care and support they received and with the way the home was managed. They made positive comments about the management team and staff. People’s views about the quality of care provided were used to make improvements to the service. The quality of the service was monitored, and appropriate action was taken to improve the service when needed. Improvements to the monitoring systems were being made. Lessons had been learned and shared with staff when things went wrong.

People felt safe and described staff as kind, friendly and caring. Staff understood how to protect people from abuse. Risk assessments were carried out to enable people to retain their independence and receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. We observed staff responding to difficult situations in a calm and patient manner and records showed appropriate action had been taken to respond to any incidents.

Recruitment processes ensured new staff were suitable to work in the home and there were enough numbers of staff to meet people's needs and ensure their safety; new staff were being recruited. People had no concerns about the care they or their relatives received. People received their medicines when they needed them from staff who had been trained and had their competency checked.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People's care needs were assessed prior to them living in the home.

Staff received induction training and ongoing training, supervision and support. They felt valued and supported and enjoyed working at the home. People enjoyed the meals. They were supported to eat a nutritionally balanced diet and had access to various healthcare professionals, when needed.

Staff treated people with dignity, respect care and kindness and knew people well. We observed staff were busy and we observed positive, caring and warm interactions between staff and people. Staff spoke with people in a friendly and patient manner and we overheard laughter and friendly banter. Staff knew about people’s routines and preferences and people told us they received the care they needed and wanted. People or their relatives, where appropriate, had been consulted about care needs.

People enjoyed activities and entertainments. Links with local community groups were being further developed to enhance people’s lives. People were supported to maintain contact with their friends and family and friendships had developed within the service. People could raise any complaints or concerns if they needed to and knew who to speak with.

People were happy with their bedrooms and with the communal areas. Communal areas were comfortable, clean and bright, bathrooms were appropriately adapted and there was access to outside seating areas. The home was on different levels and the stairs were steep which could present a mobility risk for some people; chair lifts were available. Some areas of the home needed attention. However, action was being taken to address the shortfalls. An improvement plan had been developed to ensure ongoing refurbishment and redecoration.

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 06 May 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.