We carried out a review of the data available to us about Apsley House Care Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Apsley House Care Home, you can give feedback on this service.
Apsley House Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 20 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 35 people. Apsley House Care Home is a large converted period property located in Bognor Regis, West Sussex.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People spoke highly of the care they received. They told us they were involved in their care and had freedom in how they spent their time at the home. Relatives were equally complementary. One relative told us, “I just can't praise the home highly enough, we are lucky to have found it.” Another said, “They have been brilliant. I can't really give you anything other than incredibly positive feedback about the place.”
People felt safe and told us they enjoyed living at the service. There was a calm and happy atmosphere when we visited. Care staff were well informed about risks to people's health or wellbeing and knew how to deliver care safely. Staffing levels were enough to meet people's needs. Medicines were managed safely. Lessons were learned if things went wrong.
The home was clean and staff had been trained in infection prevention and control. There were clear measures in place to manage the risk of the COVID-19 pandemic. We signposted the registered manager to guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff unable to wear face masks and to guidance on restricting staff movement between care homes. One staff member told us, “We’ve all pulled together, and I feel safer in here than I do in the outside world.”
People received good quality care that improved their wellbeing. People spoke positively about the staff who supported them and had confidence in their skills and experience. Staff felt supported and were assured their views and opinions were valued. People spoke enthusiastically about the food and were able to make suggestions for additions to the menu. Snacks and drinks were readily available throughout the day. People had access to a range of healthcare professionals and support. Premises were suitable, comfortable and met people's needs.
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.
Strong relationships were formed between staff and people due to the continuity and
caring approach of staff members. People were encouraged to be involved in decisions relating to their care and were treated with dignity and respect.
Staff were skilled in supporting people at the end of their lives. They took time to understand the person’s wishes and worked to facilitate these. Relatives spoke highly of the care their loved ones had received.
People's communication needs were identified and planned for. People expressed confidence they could raise any issues or concerns with any member of staff or the management team and these would be addressed.
The management team had clear systems in place to monitor the care people received and to drive improvement.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 16 August 2019.
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to safeguarding concerns. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns.
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.