Abbots Lawn

Updated 14 February 2020

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

One inspector and one assistant inspector conducted the inspection.

Service and service type

Abbots Lawn 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.

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

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection.

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.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We were not always able to communicate with people, so we spent time observing the interactions between people and staff, in public areas of the home, in order to help us understand people's experiences. We spoke with seven members of staff including the provider, registered manager, deputy manager, a nurse, a senior care worker, a care worker and a cook. The nominated individual was also the provider and is responsible for supervising the management of the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment. 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 relatives and received email feedback from a further two relatives. Three professionals who regularly visit the service provided email feedback about Abbots Lawn.

Updated 14 February 2020

About the service

Abbots Lawn is a care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 37 older people, some of whom live with a physical disability, sensory impairment and people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 32 people living at the service. The home is situated in Bognor Regis, West Sussex and accommodation was provided over two floors. There were assisted bathrooms on each floor, a dining room and two lounge areas on the ground floor.

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

The provider had a quality assurance system in place but this did not always identify concerns and drive the necessary improvement in relation to records regarding medicines and the application of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA).

Despite this, people felt safe receiving care from Abbots Lawn. Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding adults from abuse. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and staff had been recruited safely. Risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were assessed, monitored and reduced for people.

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. However, records did not clearly demonstrate how the principles of the MCA had been followed. We have made a recommendation about this.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink. People were fully supported with all aspects of their healthcare. Staff told us they received support and training to ensure they could carry out their roles effectively. The environment was suitable for people’s needs and allowed people a choice of where to spend their time.

People were supported by staff who were kind and caring. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible and people’s dignity and privacy was protected by staff. All staff were committed to non-discriminatory practices and providing high quality care.

Staff supported people extremely well during end of life care, and provided compassionate care at this time. Staff knew people well and people had care plans that were person centred. People were supported to access a range of activities that were socially and culturally relevant to them.

People, relatives, staff and professionals spoke positively about the culture and management of the service. Feedback from people was sought and any areas for developing the service were acted on. The service worked in partnership with other agencies to promote and support people’s wellbeing.

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 13 December 2018). Since this rating was awarded, the provider has altered its legal entity. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date the provider altered it’s legal entity. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvement. Please see the effective and well-led sections of this full report. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

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

Enforcement

We have identified one breach of the Regulations in relation to governance. 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 for 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.