Allenbrook Home (Halesowen)Ltd

Allenbrook is a care home with nursing that provides nursing and personal care to younger adults, older people and people living with dementia. Allenbrook can accommodate up to 34 people. There were 28 people living at the home when we visited.

Inside the home communal areas were spacious with a large conservatory where people could sit and enjoy the garden. Each person had their own bedroom.

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

Known risks to people had been assessed and plans were in place to manage these. People’s medicines were managed safely. People were protected from abuse. There were enough staff and they had been recruited safely. Measures were in place to protect people, staff and visitors from infections.

People’s needs were assessed before their care started and kept under review. Staff had an induction followed by regular training to give them the knowledge and skills to fulfil their roles. The home’s environment reflected people’s needs. Staff worked with community healthcare professionals to ensure people’s health needs were met. Staff understood and respected people’s right to make their own decisions.

The provider assessed the quality and safety of people’s care. There was a positive and person-centred culture within the service. Staff felt well supported by management. The provider sought feedback from people, their relatives and staff on 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 and update

The last rating for this home was requires improvement (published 22 November 2019) and there was a breach of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received staffing levels and management of people’s medicines. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, effective and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe, effective and well-led sections of this full report.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Allenbook Nursing home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

We found the following examples of good practice.

Staff had access to an employee assistance programme to support their wellbeing.

Staff had access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and were observed to wear this correctly and in accordance with current government guidelines.

There was a clear process in place to monitor vaccination status and testing for staff and people at the service.

The provider had regular cleaning schedules in place to maintain hygiene in the home. The home was visibly clean and free of clutter.

Allenbrook is a care home, the service provides personal care with nursing where assessed as needed to predominately older people, although can accommodate younger adults. The service can also accommodate people with dementia. Allenbrook is registered to accommodate 34 people. 27 people lived at the service when we visited.

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

We found that some people’s medicines were not managed safely to ensure people received them in accordance with their health needs and the prescriber's instructions. In addition, some medicines had no written protocols in place to inform staff on how to prepare and administer. We found audits undertaken had not identified issues with medication management.

People were supported by staff that were caring, compassionate and treated with dignity and respect. People felt comfortable in the company of staff who supported them. Concerns or worries were listened and responded to and used as opportunities to improve. Staff were aware of the risks to people and how to manage those risks.

People received person centred care and support based on their individual needs and preferences. Staff were aware of people's life histories and individual preferences. They used this information to develop positive, meaningful relationships with people. Staff were very knowledgeable about people’s changing needs and people and their relatives confirmed that changing needs were addressed.

People told us they felt well cared for by staff who treated them with respect and dignity and encouraged them to maintain relationships and keep their independence for as long as possible. People could maintain friendships and contact with families, and when needed had access to advocates.

People were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff understood and felt confident in their role. People told us since the change of ownership the atmosphere at the home was more relaxed and calmer.

Staff liaised with other health care professionals to ensure people's safety and meet their health needs. Where people lacked capacity, staff worked with the local authority to make sure they minimised any restrictions on people's freedom for their safety and wellbeing.

Staff spoke positively about working for the provider and had seen improvements since the change of ownership. They felt well supported and that they could talk to management at any time, feeling confident any concerns would be acted on promptly. They felt valued and happy in their role. Staff had received an induction that provided with the training, information and support they required to effectively and safely meet people’s needs.

More information is in Detailed Findings below.

Rating at last inspection:

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 31 October 2018). Since this rating was awarded the registered provider of the service has changed and the provider has altered its legal entity. We have used the previous rating of requires improvement and enforcement action taken to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.

Why we inspected:

This service was registered with us on 22/10/2018 and this is the first inspection under the new legal entity.

Enforcement:

We have identified a breach in relation to safe care and treatment at this inspection. The provider responded to the concerns on the day of the inspection and provided additional information after the inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

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 local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

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