Abbey Chase Nursing Home

Updated 29 September 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

The inspection team consisted of two inspectors and two Experts 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 Chase Nursing 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 Chase Nursing Home 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 a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 9 August 2022 and ended on 18 August 2022. We visited the service on 9 August 2022.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 10 people who used the service and 15 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 11 members of staff including the registered manager, the quality assurance and compliance manager, deputy manager, registered nurses, senior care workers, care workers, housekeepers and the assistant maintenance person. We observed interactions between staff and people who used the service. We received feedback from two healthcare professionals. We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four 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.

Updated 29 September 2022

About the service

Abbey Chase Nursing Home is a residential care home with nursing care for up to 62 people, including for people with sensory impairments. At the time of our inspection there were 59 people using the service, some of whom were living with dementia. The service is set across two wings in one building.

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

People and their relatives told us they felt safe and that staff were kind and caring towards them. There were systems in place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse. We observed sufficient staff being deployed and people did not have to wait for support.

We were assured the service were following safe infection prevention and control procedures to keep people safe.

People’s medicines were stored and administered safely. People had assessments in place to reduce known risks and these included instructions for staff to follow. We saw from records that healthcare professionals had been involved in people’s care.

Staff were aware of risks associated with people’s care and how to reduce these. People had personal emergency evacuation plans in place and staff regularly undertook safety checks of the premises and equipment.

People, their relatives and staff were generally complimentary about the management of the service. They told us they knew how to raise a concern and were confident that these would be listened to and addressed. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of care provided. The registered manager looked at lessons which could be learnt following incidents and accidents.

The registered manager regularly sought feedback from people who used the service, relatives and staff to ensure they were involved in the running of the service. They told us they felt listened to and that the registered manager was approachable. Staff worked with healthcare professionals to achieve positive outcomes for people.

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.

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 this service was good (published 12 December 2018). The last inspection was a targeted inspection which did not change the previous rating (published 23 February 2022).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to the management of medicines, and people’s nursing care needs, staffing, and infection prevention and control. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this report.

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 Chase Nursing 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.