Abbeyfield Lodge

Updated 8 September 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.

This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place. As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a thematic review of infection control and prevention measures in care homes.

This inspection took place on 11 August 2020 and was announced. The service was selected to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

Updated 8 September 2020

This unannounced inspection of Abbeyfield Lodge took place on 3 and 5 July 2017. The home provides accommodation and support for up to 13 people with learning disabilities, autism or mental health diagnoses. The primary aim at Abbeyfield Lodge is to support people to lead a full and active life within their local communities and continue with life-long learning and personal development. At the time of inspection there were 11 people living in the home.

The accommodation includes twelve single bedrooms on the ground and first floors, eight of which have en-suite facilities. There are also three separate bathrooms. Additionally, there is a self-contained one-bedroom flat on the first floor, normally used to support people to transition to independent living.

At the time of the previous inspection of Abbeyfield Lodge in 2014 a different provider had legal responsibility for meeting the requirements under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run. The current provider took over the management of the home and began to provide a service on 10 October 2016.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run.

People were protected from abuse because staff were trained and understood the actions required to keep people safe. Staff were able to explain their role and responsibility to protect people, which included personal intervention to prevent further abuse and reporting issues to the appropriate authorities.

The risks relating to people’s health and welfare were assessed and recorded, along with actions identified to reduce those risks in the least restrictive way. People’s care plans were tailored to meet individual needs and provided sufficient information to allow staff to protect people whilst promoting their independence. People’s care plans had been reviewed regularly to ensure they included all of the information staff required to meet people’s needs.

The registered manager completed a daily staffing needs analysis to ensure there were always sufficient numbers of staff with the right skills mix and experience to keep people safe. When required staffing levels had been increased to meet identified changes to people’s needs. Staff had undergone relevant pre- employment checks to assure the provider of their suitability to support vulnerable people living with a learning disability or mental health diagnosis.

People received their prescribed medicines safely from staff who had their competency to do so assessed annually by the registered manager.

The provider’s required staff training was up to date which ensured staff understood how to meet people’s support and care needs. Staff also underwent further training specific to the needs of the people they supported.. Training was refreshed regularly to ensure staff retained and updated the skills and knowledge required to support people in accordance with best practice.

Staff protected people’s rights to make their own decisions and supported them to make as many decisions as possible. Where people did not have the capacity to consent to care, legislation designed to protect people’s legal rights was followed correctly and confidently by staff.

People were treated with dignity and respect at all times. Staff demonstrated caring and positive relationships with people and were sensitive to their individual choices.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink. Where people had been identified to be at risk of choking staff supported them discreetly to minimise such risks, protecting them from harm and promoting their dignity.

People where appropriate their relatives were supported to be actively involved in making decisions about the care they received. Staff had developed positive caring relationships with people and spoke with passion about people’s needs and the challenges they faced. People’s privacy and dignity were maintained by staff who had received training and understood how to support people with intimate care tasks.

The management team ensured people were involved in the planning of their own care. People's needs and risk assessments were reviewed monthly or more frequently when required to ensure that their changing needs were met.

People were encouraged to maintain relationships with people that mattered to them and to avoid social isolation.

The registered manager sought feedback from people, their families and staff, which they used to drive continuous improvement in the service. People had access to information on how to make a complaint, which was provided in an accessible format to meet their needs.

The provider’s values underpinned staff practice and put people at the heart of the service. Staff were aware of the provider’s values, which they demonstrated in practice. The registered manager provided clear and direct leadership visible at all levels which inspired staff to provide a quality service. There were comprehensive quality assurance processes in place which were used to measure and review the quality of care being provided.