Aldringham Court

Updated 23 August 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This unannounced inspection took place on 27 June 2018. The inspection team consisted of an inspector and a specialist professional advisor who had knowledge and experience in nursing and dementia care.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We reviewed information we had received about the service such as notifications. This is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We also reviewed all other information sent to us from other stakeholders for example the local authority and members of the public.

We spoke with nine people who used the service, four relatives, two visitors and three visiting health and social care professionals. We observed the interactions between staff and people. We spoke with the manager, deputy manager, the provider’s regional director, the provider’s regional clinical support lead, 14 members of staff including care, domestic, catering and maintenance. We also received electronic feedback from three community care professionals.

To help us assess how people’s care needs were being met, we reviewed six people’s care records. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service, recruitment, training, and systems for monitoring the quality of the service.

Updated 23 August 2018

Aldringham Court is a care home with nursing. 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.

Aldringham Court accommodates up to 45 people. Some people using the service were living with dementia. At the time of this unannounced inspection of 27 June 2018 there were 40 people who used the service.

At our last inspection on 11 August 2016, we rated the service overall Good. The key questions Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well Led were rated good. The key question Safe was rated Requires Improvement as people were not consistently supported in a clean and hazard free environment.

At this inspection 27 June 2018 we found that improvements had been made and sustained and Safe is now rated as Good. We found the evidence continued to support the overall rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

The design and layout of the building was hazard free and met the needs of people who lived there. All areas of the home were clean and in a good state of repair with equipment maintained. Systems were in place to minimise the risks to people, including from abuse, falls and with their medicines.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in keeping people safe. They were trained and supported to meet people’s needs. Staff were available when people needed assistance and had been recruited safely.

People were complimentary about the care they received and the approach of the manager and staff. They told us that they felt safe and well cared for. Staff had developed good relationships with people. Staff consistently protected people’s privacy and dignity and promoted their independence.

Systems were in place to receive, record, store and administer medicines safely. Where people required assistance to take their medicines there were arrangements in place to provide this support safely.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People enjoyed a positive meal time experience and were enabled to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet. They were also supported to maintain good health and access healthcare services.

People received care that was personalised and responsive to their needs. They participated in meaningful activities and were supported to pursue their interests. The service listened to people’s experiences, concerns and complaints and took action where needed.

The manager was accessible, supportive and had good leadership skills. Staff were aware of the values of the provider and understood their roles and responsibilities. Morale was good within the workforce.

The service had a quality assurance system and shortfalls were identified and addressed. There was a culture of listening to people and positively learning from events so similar incidents were not repeated. As a result, the quality of the service continued to develop.