Albany House - Bognor Regis

Updated 5 March 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection was undertaken by one adult social care inspector on the 2 and 3 January 2019 and was unannounced on day one.

Prior to the inspection we looked at other information we held about the service such as notifications and previous reports. The provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. At our last inspection of the service in June 2016 we did not identify any concerns with the care provided to people.

During the inspection we met and spoke all the people who lived at the service. Eight people wrote us letters with details about the care and experiences of living in Albany House. Others told us about the care and support they received.

We also looked around the premises. We spoke to the registered manager and one healthcare professional. We also spoke with six staff and received feedback from seven professionals after our visit. We looked at records relating to individual’s care and the running of the home. These included four care and support plans and records relating to medicine administration. We also looked at the quality monitoring of the service.

Updated 5 March 2019

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 2 and 3 January 2019.

Albany House is a care home without nursing for up to 18 people. On the day of our inspection there were 16 people living at the service. The home provides support to people with mental health needs that include schizophrenia, bi-polar, dementia and depression.

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.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the last inspection on 13 June 2016, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service had improved to Outstanding.

Why the service is rated Outstanding.

We spent time with people during our visits and some people had chosen to write us a letter describing their experience of living in Albany House. Feedback received from people living in the service was extremely positive, saying things like “I feel safe. I feel loved” and “I feel like staff and residents are family”.

Feedback received from professionals was also very positive. They told us about the impact the great service had for people. The provider’s website also had many positive reviews from relatives of people using the service. Most rated the service as excellent.

The service was extremely well led. The provider’s values and vision were embedded into the service, staff and culture. The provider and registered manager were passionate and committed to developing a service where people received genuinely person-centred care. This was evident throughout our visit. People, relatives, staff and professionals said the registered manager was very approachable.

People were supported to develop close relationships with each other and with all the staff. The management and staff created a warm and relaxed environment and we observed a strong caring relationship between people and the registered manager. Relationships were professional but two way and people knew about the registered manager’s and staff families and interests which helped maintain these relationships.

People’s equality and diversity was respected and people were supported in the way they wanted to be. The service had a clear policy on equality and diversity and staff and people received training on this topic. The registered manager gave us examples of how the service had provided support to meet the diverse needs of people using the service, including those related to sexuality and faith. People’s individual preferences were identified through discussion with them or their relatives if appropriate. Their preferences were documented in care plans if they wished this information to be shared, and understood and respected by staff.

People received outstanding care from a dedicated staff team who were very kind, caring and compassionate, and who demonstrated they would go the extra mile for people when necessary. Staff had built very strong relationships with people. All staff demonstrated kindness for people through their conversations, interactions and observations. Staff respected people’s privacy. People or their representatives, were involved in decisions about the care and support people received.

People were provided exceptional care to protect their wellbeing and their individual needs. People’s wishes for their end of life were clearly documented and the care and support provided was exceptional.

There were quality assurance systems in place to help monitor the quality of the service, and identify any areas which might require improvement. The provider’s governance framework helped monitor the management and leadership of the service. The provider listened to feedback and reflected on how the service could be further improved. The provider had monitoring systems which enabled them to identify good practices and areas of improvement.

People received their medicines safely by staff that had received regular updated training. People were protected by safe recruitment procedures. This helped to ensure staff employed were suitable to work with vulnerable people. People, relatives and the staff team confirmed there were sufficient number of staff to help keep people safe. Staff said they were able to meet people’s needs and support them when needed.

People’s risks were assessed, monitored and managed by staff to help ensure they remained safe. Risk assessments were completed to enable people to retain as much independence as possible.

People continued to receive care from a staff team that had the skills and knowledge required to effectively support them. Staff had completed mental health and safeguarding training. The provider had a comprehensive training programme in place. Staff without formal care qualifications completed the Care Certificate (a nationally recognised training course for staff new to care). The Care Certificate training looked at and discussed the Equality and Diversity and Human Rights policy of the company.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People's healthcare needs were monitored by the staff and people had access to a variety of healthcare professionals.

People’s care and support was based on legislation and best practice guidelines, helping to ensure the best outcomes for people. People’s legal rights were upheld and consent to care was sought. Care plans were person centred and held full details on how people’s needs were to be met, taking into account people’s preferences and wishes. Information held included people’s previous history and any cultural, religious and spiritual needs.

Further information is in the detailed findings below