The Care Quality Commission (CQC), has rated Abbey View, a care home in Sherborne, Dorset as outstanding, following an unannounced inspection in June.
Abbey View is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 52 people, 44 people were living here at the time of the inspection.
Abbey View, was previously rated as good overall, but following this inspection has been rated as outstanding, CQC’s highest rating. The service has also been rated as outstanding for being responsive and well-led, and good for being safe and effective. Inspectors didn’t look at how caring the service was at this inspection so it remains good in this area from their previous inspection.
Roger James, CQC deputy director of operations in the south, said:
“When we inspected Abbey View, we saw a home that was providing an exceptional service to people, especially those with life limiting neurological conditions such as motor neurone disease.
“It was brilliant to see the partnership the home had formed with a local hospice, to provide staff with training to help meet people’s individual needs. As a result people were being provided with outstanding care and support and just as importantly, an outstanding quality of life.
“People we spoke to were overwhelmingly positive about the exceptional levels of care and support they got from staff. It was lovely to see such a variety of activities and events that were organised by the home ensuring people led meaningful and interesting lives.
“The atmosphere in the home was extremely warm and welcoming and people told us the care they received exceeded their expectations. Staff went above and beyond to ensure people were treated with care, dignity, and respect.
“We saw people were encouraged and supported to maximise their independence. For example, the home were using innovative communication methods to enable people losing their previous communication skills to maintain relationships and make choices about their own care.
“We found this to be a well-led and extremely responsive service that focused on people’s needs and the whole team deserve to be congratulated for all their hard work and commitment. Other services can look to it as an example of the high standards of care people should expect.”
Inspectors found:
- Safety was a priority at the home, with leaders creating a culture where incidents could be learned from to avoid them happening again as well as ensuring everyone was committed embedding best practice
- Without exception people and their relatives believed Abbey View to be safe
- Risks to people's health, safety and well-being were assessed and measures put in place to minimise the likelihood of harm which meant people were able to live their lives to the full and not be restricted
- Holistic assessments and person-centred care plans were in place for people and there was evidence to show these were regularly reviewed and updated. Innovative records, including the ten most important things to know about a person, provided staff with insight into people
- Extensive analysis of call-bell data had ensured people received the support they needed in a timely manner. There was ongoing work to further improve responses to people with a goal of staff pre-empting people's calls when possible
- End of life care was provided in a compassionate way and advanced care plans were developed to ensure people and their relatives could receive care as they wanted it.