Background to this inspection
Updated
11 June 2022
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.
As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.
Inspection team
Two Inspectors carried out the inspection.
Service and service type
Abberley House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Abberley House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.
What we did before inspection
We used information gathered as part of a monitoring activity that took place on 16 March 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgments. We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with three people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided.
We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager, assistant manager, a senior carer, carers and a cook.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We spoke with two professionals who regularly visit the service.
Updated
11 June 2022
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
About the service
Abberley House is a residential care home providing respite support to people with a learning disability or other complex needs. This means people stay at Abberley House for short periods of time, providing a break for their usual carer. At the time of the inspection three people were being provided with personal care at the home. The service can support up to nine people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture.
Right support:
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of 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 were assessed so any potential risks were identified, and steps taken to keep them safe. Systems in place safeguarded people from abuse and staff were knowledgeable about how to support people safely. People were protected from harm through infection control measures and safe management of medicines.
Right care
Observations and records showed that people experienced choice and control over their support and care planning was person centred. The culture of the service promoted people’s independence and people, relatives and staff all reported being part of a family. People were supported to express their views and treated with dignity and respect.
Right culture
Systems and processes in place promoted a positive culture at the home. Practices at the service were audited to monitor quality of the care people received and areas of improvement were identified. Further review of governance records was ongoing since the service reopened to people in October 2021 following the pandemic. There was good communication with other agencies to ensure people’s needs were met.
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 29 September 2018).
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services which have had a recent Direct Monitoring Approach (DMA) assessment where no further action was needed to seek assurance about this decision and to identify learning about the DMA process. As part of the inspection we assessed whether the service was applying the principles of right support right care right culture.
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.