Archived: Abbey Lawns Care Home

Updated 26 October 2022

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 an inspector, nurse consultant and an 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

Abbey Lawns 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. Abbey Lawns is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was an interim manager in post but they were not registered with CQC. The provider was in the process of recruiting a permanent manager.

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. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we spoke with 25 people and 4 family members about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 6 members of staff including a nurse, interim manager and quality and compliance manager.

We reviewed a range of records including 8 people's care records and 6 people's medicine administration records. We looked at 5 staff files for recruitment and a range of other records relating to the overall management of the service.

Updated 26 October 2022

About the service

Abbey Lawns Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care and nursing care for up to 61 people with a variety of mental and physical health needs. There were 34 people living at the home at the time of this inspection.

People's experience of using the service and what we found

A number of identified improvements had been made since our last inspection however, further improvements were still needed. We identified some issues in relation to the safety and cleanliness of the environment, recruitment and the provider's systems for checking the safety and quality of the service. We have made a recommendation regarding the provider's governance systems. The manager immediately acted on some of the issues we found during the inspection.

Risks to people's health, safety and well-being had been assessed and staff had access to information about how to support people safely. People were protected from the risk of abuse and staff knew how to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns. Accidents and incidents that occurred in the home were acted upon appropriately and were subject to regular review and analysis to help prevent incidents occurring in the future.

People's needs had been assessed and care was planned for and delivered in line with current best practice guidance. People were supported with their meals where needed and any risks or needs associated with their food and drink intake were assessed and guidance was in place for staff to follow. Staff worked with health and social care professionals to ensure people received the right care and support.

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 received care that was person centered and based on their needs and preferences; this included needs associated with their communication. Staff had access to guidance about how to effectively communicate with people; this included the use of pictorial cards if needed. An activities co-ordinator was employed at the home who organised a range of group and individual activities. People were supported to maintain contact with their family members; visits to the home were permitted in line with current national guidance.

The manager was responsive to feedback given during the inspection and had worked hard, along with the staff team, to make improvements to the home since our last inspection. Staff were proud to talk to us about the improvements made and spoke positively about the manager. They told us they felt supported and listened to. People and family members spoke positively about the service and the quality of care provided.

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 inadequate (published 30 May 2022) and there were breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

This service has been in Special Measures since 30 May 2022. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced inspection of this service on 30 January 2022. Breaches of legal requirements were found in relation to safe care and treatment, safeguarding people from the risk of abuse, staffing, recruitment, person-centred care, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and governance. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective, Responsive and Well-led which contain those requirements.

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 inadequate to requires improvement. This is based on the findings at 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 Abbey Lawns Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.