Leiston Old Abbey Residential Home

Updated 22 August 2019

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 undertaken by one inspector and an Expert 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

Leiston Old Abbey Residential Home 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

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. This included previous inspection reports, information received from the service about how they managed specific incidents and feedback from stakeholders and members of the public. This included a concern received about medicines safety and a concern about care provided. We referred the concerns to the local authority and received feedback. We requested and received feedback from commissioners of the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the provider, registered manager, care, maintenance and catering staff. We observed the care and support and interactions between people who used the service and staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medicines records. We looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, audits and records of incidents. We also spoke with a visiting health professional.

After the inspection

During our inspection visit, the registered manager sent us their training records via e mail. Following this visit we reviewed what had been sent to us.

Updated 22 August 2019

About the service

Leiston Old Abbey Residential Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 40 people on one adapted building. At the time of our inspection there were to 14 older people living in the service, some of these people lived with dementia.

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

The systems for assessing and monitoring risk were designed to keep people safe from avoidable harm. When things had gone wrong, such as incidents and accidents, the service had investigated, learned lessons and acted to reduce future incidents. Staff were available when people required assistance. Recruitment procedures were safe. People were supported with their medicines safely. There were some areas in the service relating to hygiene which required attention. This had been identified by the registered manager and was being addressed.

People were cared for by staff who were trained to meet their needs. There was a programme of redecoration and replacing flooring in the service. People’s needs, including in relation to their health and nutrition were assessed and planned for. 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.

People told us they shared positive relationships with the staff, and that the staff were kind and respectful. People’s choices were listened to and staff acted in accordance with their wishes. People’s rights to privacy, independence and dignity were promoted.

People’s care records demonstrated that their care needs were assessed and planned for and staff received guidance on how to meet people’s needs. People were supported to participate in activities which interested them. There was a complaints procedure in place.

The governance systems supported the registered manager and provider to assess the service provided and identify and address shortfalls.

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 at the last inspection of 28 March 2017 was Good (published 27 April 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.