Abbotts Road

Updated 5 March 2020

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Abbotts Road is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

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 used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all information we had to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with all three of the people during the inspection however the people who used the service could not talk to us about their experience of living at the service and being cared for by staff. We spent time with them as they engaged in their daily activities and used observation to help us understand their experience of being cared for.

We spoke with three members of staff including the registered manager during the inspection visit. After the visit we spoke on the telephone with two relatives of people about their experience of the care that was provided.

We reviewed some of the records maintained in the home including records of care planning, risk management, specific support needs and medication administration. We look at one set of staff recruitment records and at the training records for the whole staff team. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 5 March 2020

About the service

Abbotts Road is a residential care home providing personal to people with learning disabilities and/or autism. The service can provide support for up to four people. At the time of the inspection there were three people living in the home. Each person had their own bedroom on the first floor and all people enjoy shared use of the communal areas of the home and garden.

The service applied the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that was appropriate and inclusive for them. The home is located on a small residential road near to local shops and cannot be identified from outside as a care home.

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

People who used the service could not talk to us about their experience of living at the service and being cared for by staff. However, we spent time with them observing how staff supported them. We noted the relationships and interactions between staff and people living in the home were positive and relaxed. People were at ease in the company of staff.

We saw there were enough skilled staff on duty to meet peoples needs and provide them with support and attention they required to safely engage in activities known to be of interest to them. Some people liked to engage in light household tasks with staff support and supervision. People were supported to use community facilities and the transport provided in the home was well used to ensure everyone could participate and make use of community facilities and visit places of interest. Risks were well known by staff and safely managed. People received the medication and support they needed to keep them safe.

A varied and balanced diet was always provided for people in line with their preferences and dietary needs. Staff were well trained and knowledgeable about how people needed to be supported to keep well and to enjoy a good quality of life.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance to deliver good outcomes for people. These ensure people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes which include control, choice and independence. The support focussed on people having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent in line with their plans.

The registered manager and staff ensured people’s individual care and support needs were met. Reviews were regularly undertaken to help ensure positive outcomes could be provided for people. Regular contact with healthcare providers was maintained by staff in the home so the health and support needs of people could be monitored and acted upon as necessary.

Relatives of people expressed confidence in the registered manager and staff, they said they were well informed and updated by the home about all aspects of the care provided. Relationships between the registered manager and staff were positive and all said communication in the home was good with information about people shared in a timely manner. Regular audits and checks were conducted by the provider to maintain and check on the quality of the service provided.

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 (with the report published August 2017).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.