Albert Suites at Battersea Place

People’s experience of using this service

People using the service and their relatives were happy that they were safe and well cared for.

Despite the positive feedback, we found some aspects related to the management of the service had deteriorated since the previous inspection. There had been some changes to the management of the service and also some restructuring of its set up was also being considered. These changes had an impact on the morale within the staff team, the provider’s engagement with staff and also some aspects of its quality assurance checks which had not been completed in the period since the previous registered manager left.

There were enough staff employed to meet people's needs and there were robust recruitment procedures in place which meant that staff were safe to work with people. Risks to people were reviewed every month which meant they were supported to remain as safe as possible. People were supported to take their medicines in a safe manner. We were assured that the provider had safe infection prevention and control procedures in place, including in relation to the management of COVID-19.

Staff were offered a mixture of face to face and online training.

People were supported to eat a balanced diet with a daily changing menu and a variety of alternative dishes always available. Care plans reflected people's personal preferences and their support needs. There was a good activities programme on offer, with both individual and group activities taking place. These were delivered in line with people's wishes. The provider listened and responded when concerns or complaints were raised.

Some aspects of the service were managed well. The new manager was approachable and wanted to engage and encourage feedback from people and staff. The provider worked with local partners to ensure people received the appropriate support.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update.

The last rating for this service was good (published 28 June 2018).

Why we inspected

We received some concerns in relation to the management of the service. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe and Well-led only.

We also used a targeted approach to look at specific concerns we had about training and food under the Key Question of Effective. As we only looked at part of Effective, we have not changed the rating from the previous inspection for this Key Question.

We reviewed all the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other Key Questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for the Key Questions of Caring and Responsive were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and the relevant local authorities to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Albert Suites at Battersea Place is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Albert Suites at Battersea Place can accommodate 27 people. It is arranged over one floor and accommodates people with nursing needs including those on palliative care. The majority of people using the service at the time of the inspection were post-operative, coming in for respite following a hospital admission. At the time of the inspection there were 16 people using the service.

There was a registered manager at the service. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People using the service told us they felt safe at Albert Suites. They said that staff were caring and friendly and respected their privacy. They told us they were involved in planning their care and were able to make choices about how they wanted this to be delivered. This included being fully involved in the initial assessment stage when planning their care, their meals and the activities they wanted to do.

Staff recruitment checks were robust and new staff completed a comprehensive induction and training programme which helped them to prepare for their roles. Staff received regular supervision and appraisal. Although there were enough staff employed to meet people’s needs, we received feedback regarding the difference in care people received from agency staff as compared to permanent staff. The registered manager was aware of this and had taken steps to try and resolve this.

Checks were completed on the equipment and the environment which was clean and well maintained. People had access to an outdoor space and ample indoor space including private and communal areas outside of their bedrooms to meet with friends and relatives.

People’s health needs were managed by the provider. A GP visited weekly to review people and care plans contained details about their health requirements. We received feedback that the nursing care was good.

Care planning, including risk assessments and care plans was appropriate. Risks to people were identified and steps identified to control risks to people. Care plans were clear, comprehensive and reviewed regularly.

The service was well led. The values of the service were taught and embedded into staff during their recruitment and induction. The registered manager was open to establishing and maintaining relationships with external stakeholders. A number of audits took place to monitor the quality of service.