We carried out a review of the data available to us about Abbott House - Oundle on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Abbott House - Oundle, you can give feedback on this service.
We found the following examples of good practice.
• The provider ensured there was sufficient stock of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in place including masks, gloves, aprons and hand sanitiser. Infection control polices had been updated to reflect the current national guidance and staff were wearing this appropriately.
• There were PPE stations throughout the service where staff could use hand sanitiser and change their PPE. This was to reduce the potential for infections spreading through different parts of the service.
• The provider ensured staff were skilled in infection prevention and control. This included training about infection control specifically relating to 'Donning and Doffing' which is how to put on and remove PPE safely.
• There was a clear procedure in place to ensure people were admitted to the service safely.
• There was a testing programme in place for staff and people living in the service. This was to ensure if any staff or people had contracted COVID-19 and were asymptomatic, this was identified and acted upon in a timely way.
• The provider had set up a visiting room to facilitate visits between people and their relatives. This included an outside access point to the room. PPE and handwashing facilities was available to visitors. These measures meant people and their relatives could safely spend time together. Staff facilitated these visits in line with national guidance.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.
At the last inspection this service was rated good. At this inspection we found the service remained good. The inspection took place on the 1st December 2017 and was unannounced.
The service had a registered manager. 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.
People were treated with respect, kindness and empathy; they had developed positive relationships with the staff that were caring, compassionate and friendly. People had detailed personalised care plans in place which enabled staff to provide consistent care and support in line with people’s personal preferences.
People continued to receive safe care. Staff were appropriately recruited and there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. People were protected from the risk of harm and received their prescribed medicines safely.
The care that people received continued to be effective. Staff had access to the support, supervision, training and on going professional development that they required to work effectively in their roles. People were supported to maintain good health and nutrition.
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 home supported this practice. There were a variety of activities available for people to participate in if they wished to and the local community was encouraged to take part in events at the home.
The service had a positive ethos and an open culture. The registered manager and provider were committed to develop the service and actively looked at ways to improve the service. There were effective quality assurance systems and audits in place; action was taken to address any shortfalls.
People knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint and the registered manager had implemented effective systems to manage any complaints that they may receive.
The inspection took place on 14 and 16 October 2015 and was unannounced.
Abbott House is situated on the outskirts of the market town of Oundle in East Northamptonshire and provides care for up to 40 older people, including people living with dementia.
At the time of the inspection 35 people were using the service.
The service had 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.
The staff had a good understanding of what constituted abuse and of the safeguarding procedures to follow should they need to report any abuse.
Risks were appropriately managed to ensure that people were supported to make choices and take risks.
Staff had been recruited following safe and robust procedures and there were sufficient numbers of suitable staff available to keep people safe and meet their needs.
Systems were in place to monitor accidents and incidents so that preventative action could be taken to reduce the number of occurrences.
Robust arrangements were in place for the safe administration and management of medicines.
Staff had the skills and knowledge needed to support people appropriately and had regular training updates to maintain their skills. A programme of staff supervision and annual appraisals enabled the staff to reflect on their work practice and plan their learning and development needs.
People’s consent was sought before providing their care and treatment. People who lacked capacity to make decisions were supported following the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
People benefitted from having a balanced and varied diet. Their dietary needs were monitored and advice was sought from appropriate health professionals when needed.
People had regular access to healthcare professionals and were supported to attend health appointments.
Staff treated people with kindness and compassion, dignity and respect.
People had individualised and detailed care plans in place, which reflected their needs and choices on how they wanted their care and support to be provided.
Social, leisure and purposeful activities were provided for people to meet their individual needs and aspirations.
People and their representatives were encouraged to provide feedback on the service; complaints were taken seriously and responded to immediately.
The service was led by a registered manager who continually strived to provide a good quality service. The vision and values were person-centred. People and their representatives were supported to be involved and in control of their care.
Effective management systems were in place to continually monitor the quality of the service.
We found the home to be compliant in the regulations we examined against.
A relative we spoke with said "We are very pleased with the home, the staff are very good and we are very happy with the way our relative is looked after."
We found that the provider is now compliant with this regulation.
Other comments included "there are not enough staff, my relative needs hoisting by two people to get out of bed." Another relative told us "staff are very,very caring, they are brilliant."
We spoke with another relative who told us that there did not appear to enough care staff on duty or enough stimulating activities such as exercise classes.
We saw however that the staff were working hard carrying out numerous tasks and were polite and treated the people who used the service with respect and dignity at all times. This showed that the staff were diligent in their work but because of lack of staff they were totally task oriented this left little or no time for social interaction with the people who used the service.
We spoke with four people who all said they were happy living at the home and pleased with the health and social care and support they received. We observed during our visit that people were treated as individuals and their dignity and independence was maintained.