Abbeyfield House

Updated 23 June 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

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

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type

Abbeyfield House 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.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced and took place on 18 May 2021. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at information we held about the service, including notifications they had made to us about important events.

Due to technical problems, the provider was not able to complete a Provider Information Return. 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.

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. This information helps and supports our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

In addition to meeting and speaking with all the people living at Abbeyfield House, we spent time observing staff working with and supporting people in communal areas during the inspection. We also spoke with four relatives and eight staff members including the nominated individual, registered manager, a team leader and five support workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two 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.

After the inspection

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

Updated 23 June 2021

About the service

Abbeyfield House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to seven people under the age of 65 who may have a learning disability or autism. The home accommodates up to six people over two floors in the main house, and one person in a separate cottage on the same site. At the time of our inspection there were four people living at the home.

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

People were assessed so any potential risks were identified and steps taken to keep them safe. Systems in place safeguarded people from abuse and incidents were reviewed to ensure lessons were learned. People were protected from harm through infection control measures and the safe management of medicines.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were supported to access healthcare services which had resulted in people experiencing healthier lives. The environment had been adapted and redecorated in consultation with people to meet their needs.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

Right support:

• Model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and

independence

Right care:

• Care is person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy and human

rights

Right culture:

• Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people

using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives

This service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. Observations and records showed that people experienced choice and control over their support and care planning was person centred. The culture of the service promoted people’s independence and this was evident in the positive outcomes people had experienced. People were supported to express their views and were treated with dignity and respect.

People’s individual communication needs were considered to support them to be involved in their care. People chose how they spent their time and plans were in place to widen opportunities for people as restrictions eased in the community.

Systems and processes in place promoted a positive culture in the home. Practices at the service were audited to monitor quality of the care people received and areas of improvement were identified. There was good communication with other agencies to ensure people’s needs were met.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 15 April 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection as the service had not previously received a rating.

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.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.