Abacus Quality Care Ltd T/A Abacus Care Home

Updated 16 June 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection, we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was completed by 1 inspector and 1 Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Abacus Quality Care Ltd T/A Abacus Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Abacus Quality Care Ltd T/A Abacus Care Home is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

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, and we sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 6 people who used the service and 3 relatives of their experiences of the care provided. We spoke with 7 members of staff including the registered manager, a cook, a domestic worker, the activity lead, and care staff. We reviewed a range of records, this included 3 people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 16 June 2023

About the service

Abacus Quality Care Ltd T/A Abacus Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 27 people. The service provides support to older people some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 23 people using the service.

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

People did not always have up to date risk assessments in place or clear information recorded to monitor identified risks. It was not always clear what action was taken to learn lessons. The provider’s visiting approach did not align to government guidance; however, this was immediately reviewed following our visit.

Whilst people were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives, staff did not always support them in the least restrictive way and in their best interests, as the policies and systems in place did not support them to ensure this. People’s care plans were not always up to date, and some required further information.

The systems in place were not always effectively completed to identify areas for improvement.

People’s medicines were administered safely. People were supported by enough staff who were safely recruited to work at the home. People were supported by staff who were trained to recognised and report on the risk of abuse.

People were supported to eat and drink and maintain a healthy diet and they were supported by staff who were trained to meet their needs. Staff worked with other health and social care organisations to provide consistent and timely care to people. People received care in a clean and well-maintained environment adapted and decorated to meet their needs.

People and staff were involved in the running of the service. Staff shared a positive culture which was person-centred and met people’s individual needs. The registered manager was aware of their responsibility under the duty of candour and encouraged staff to be open and share information as required.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 23 August 2019).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, effective and well-led only.

Please see the safe, 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.

The provider had started to update their records and make required changes to improve the service.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of 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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Abacus Quality Care Ltd Abacus Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to consent to care and treatment and good governance at this inspection. 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 from 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 continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.