Archived: Albemarle Hall Nursing Home

We were concerned that people did not always receive the care and treatment they needed to maintain their health and wellbeing. We were concerned that people were not always supported to maintain adequate levels of nutrition and hydration.

The provider had made improvements in ensuring people were protected from risk of abuse. We found that people's medicines were managed safely.

We found the home was clean and hygienic. However, we found people were not always protected against the risk of acquiring infections. We found the provider had made improvements in ensuring the safety of the premises.

The provider had made improvements to the recruitment processes. However, staff were not always trained and developed to an appropriate standard to ensure people were cared for in a safe and appropriate manner.

We were concerned about the quality of records and management of the service. We found the systems in place to identify, assess and manage risk were not effective.

We found action had been taken to ensure people had their care planned and delivered in a way which met their needs. One person told us, 'I'm happy with the staff.'

We found that three of the four people we spoke with felt safe. The other person did not and raised safeguarding concerns. These were not reported factually and the person was not fully protected from the risks of further harm or abuse. This meant the warning notice had not been fully complied with.

There had been a number of improvements to the systems for ensuring the home was clean and infection was prevented. However, these were insufficient to manage the risks of people acquiring an infection or to ensure the premises were clean and hygienic.

There were improvements to the systems in place to consult with people living at the service and relatives, but some of the new systems were not yet effective at managing the risks to their health, welfare and safety.

We will follow up these areas of concern.

One person said, 'I get the care I need when I need it.' All of the relatives we spoke with told us they were happy with the care being provided but the views of relatives and people living at the service often differed. Not everyone felt they were treated with respect and involved in decisions.

We were concerned that people did not always receive the care and treatment they needed to maintain their health and wellbeing. One relative, staff and a service user commented that there were not enough activities to occupy and entertain them.

Relatives felt their loved ones were safe, but there was not enough oversight and investigation of the injuries people sustained to ensure they were not at risk of harm. We found the home was not clean, hygienic and people were not protected against the risk of acquiring infections. Several parts of the premises needed attention to make sure they were safe for use and fit for purpose.

We found the recruitment processes were not effective and did not always protect people from risk.

People told us they felt the provider and manager were approachable but our concerns about the records and management of the service meant the systems in place to identify, assess and manage risk were not effective.

People had mixed views regarding the premises and one person told us that other people who use services walk into their room uninvited. Two of the three people we spoke with felt there were not enough staff to meet their needs. Two of the three people we spoke with raised concerns about the quality of the service. One person said things were 'Mediocre', whilst another person said, 'Things could be better here'.

We found that people's privacy and dignity were not always respected and that the home could not provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate that they were fully protecting people's rights. Care records were not always accurate and did not always contain sufficient information to meet people who use services' individual needs.

We found that safeguarding procedures had not been correctly followed in one instance and not all appropriate checks were taking place to ensure the safety of the premises.

Appropriate levels of staff were in place to meet people's needs but an effective system to assess the quality of the service was not in place. We also found that notifications were not being sent to the Care Quality Commission when required.