Abbey Lodge Residential Home

Updated 12 December 2020

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) response to care homes with outbreaks of coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 18 November 2020 and was unannounced.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

Abbey Lodge Residential Home is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a 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 CQC. 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.

What we did before the 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 the deputy manager and we observed staff practice in relation to IPC and accessibility and storage of personal protective equipment.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and IPC audit records.

Updated 12 December 2020

About the service:

Abbey Lodge is a residential care home that accommodates up to 25 older people in one adapted building. Abbey Lodge is a large detached house situated in a residential area just outside Hythe. At the time of the inspection 24 people were living at the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

There continued to be a warm friendly welcoming atmosphere at Abbey Lodge. People we spoke with told us they were happy living at the service, that staff treated them with kindness, respect and compassion.

There were good systems in place to protect people from possible harm and abuse. Staff knew people well, and worked hard to reduce risks to people, whilst encouraging them to keep their independence. People received their medicines when they needed them and as prescribed.

We found the service to be clean, and to meet the needs of the people living at Abbey Lodge.

People were supported by sufficient staff, that knew them well. Staff continued to receive the training and supervision to support people effectively.

We observed people being supported to eat and drink safely. When people’s needs changed, staff involved healthcare professionals to support people to live healthier lives.

We observed staff supporting people in person centred way, changing their approach from person to person. When staff spoke to us of people, they did so in a respectful manner, smiling and telling us the best parts of people, and their personalities.

People told us they received person centred care at Abbey Lodge. People were supported to take part in activities they enjoyed. People’s birthdays were celebrated with parties. People were encouraged to be partners in their care planning, where possible. People were aware of the complaints procedure, and told us they were able to raise concerns with staff.

There were systems in place to check on the quality of the service, which included gaining feedback from people, and implementing improvements as a result. Staff worked with other professionals to deliver joined up care that was effective for the people they supported.

More information is in the detailed findings below

Rating at last inspection:

Good (report published 20 July 2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. We found that the service continued to meet the characteristics of Good in all areas. The overall rating is Good.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.