Archived: Abode Residence

Abode Residence is a residential care home providing personal care to eight people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 13 people in one adapted building.

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

People said they were helped promptly. Staff were deployed effectively and had received training to maintain their knowledge and skills. People were cared for in a clean environment and checks were carried out to ensure the environment was clean.

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 06/052021).

Why we inspected

We undertook this targeted inspection as we had received concerns about the provision and deployment of staff. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. The overall rating for the service has not changed following this targeted inspection and remains good.

CQC have introduced targeted inspections to follow up on Warning Notices or to check specific concerns. They do not look at an entire key question, only the part of the key question we are specifically concerned about. Targeted inspections do not change the rating from the previous inspection. This is because they do not assess all areas of a key question. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

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.

Please see the safe section of this full report.

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.

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

People told us staff did not always help them promptly, we have discussed this with the registered manager and provider and made a recommendation regarding the staffing provision at the home. Staff had been trained in medicines management but best practice guidance was not always followed. We have made a recommendation regarding medicines and the following of best practice. Infection control processes were in place to limit the risk and spread of infection, however the policy required review to ensure information reflected latest guidance. We have signposted the provider to further resources. This and the recommendations are within the 'safe' section of this report. Risk assessments were carried out to promote peoples safety. Staff were recruited safely and employment checks were carried out. Staff had received training in safeguarding and were confident any concerns would be investigated by management and reported to safeguarding authorities, to help ensure people were protected from abuse.

People were supported in a dignified manner with kindness and respect. Staff were patient with people and we saw warm interactions between people and staff. Audits and checks were carried out to identify shortfalls and drive improvement and staff told us the management team worked closely with them to support the smooth running of the home. Staff worked with external health professionals to support people to achieve their best outcomes.

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 08 February 2020).

Why we inspected

We undertook a focused inspection to follow up on specific concerns which we had received about the service. The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about medicines management, equipment, cleanliness, staffing and care provided. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We looked at the key questions of safe and well-led.

We reviewed 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 those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

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. This is based on the findings at this inspection. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

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

Follow up

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

Abode Residence is a residential care home providing personal care to 8 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 13 people who may be living with dementia. The home is an adapted house which has individual accommodation and there is a lounge and conservatory for people to enjoy. There is also an accessible garden for people to use if they wish to do so.

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

People were not always protected from avoidable harm. A risk assessment was not reviewed when it needed to be and action to mitigate risk was not taken promptly. Equipment was not always assessed to ensure it was suitable to use. Recruitment documentation did not always request the information required by the provider. People told us they felt safe and staff were aware of how to raise concerns if they suspected people were at risk of abuse and systems were followed to ensure the risk of infection was minimised. Medicines were managed safely, and the provider and registered manager reviewed and shared information to drive improvement. Staffing was arranged so people did not have to wait for help and people described staff as, “Kind.”

We have made recommendations about the assessment of risk and recruitment documentation, which can be found in the ‘safe’ section of this report.

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. Mental capacity assessments were carried out, but records did not always clearly reflect decisions to be made or if less restrictive measures had been considered. People’s nutritional needs were assessed, and people spoke highly of the meals and snacks provided. People were supported by staff who were trained and knowledgeable of people’s individual needs and people and where appropriate, relatives were involved in care planning. The home was well -lit and signage had been displayed to help people who were unfamiliar with the environment, move independently around the home.

We have made a recommendation about the documentation of mental capacity assessments and best interests’ meetings, which can be found in the 'effective' section of this report.

Care records were not always written in a person -centred manner and did not consistently reflect a person’s individual needs. People told us they enjoyed the entertainment provided and they were supported to take part. People’s communication needs had been assessed and documented and staff were aware of people’s individual communication needs. There was a complaints process for people to raise concerns if they wished to do so.

We have made a recommendation about person centred care planning, which can be found in the responsive section of this report.

During the inspection we identified areas where action was required to improve areas within the home. Audits did not always have action plans to show how improvements would be made. The registered manager held meetings with staff and people who lived at the home, to share information and gain their views on how the service could be improved. The provider and registered manager worked in partnership with a variety of agencies to ensure people’s health and social needs were met.

We have made a recommendation about audit processes and provider oversight of the service, which can be found in the well-led section of the report.

People and relatives told us they considered staff were caring and our observations showed people were supported in a gentle and patient manner. Information about local advocacy services was available, to ensure people could access support to express their views if required.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 22/03/2019 and this is the first inspection.

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.