Abbeycliffe Residential Care Home

Updated 21 February 2023

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 2 inspectors and 1 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

Abbeycliffe Residential Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Abbeycliffe Residential Care Home is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 19 January 2023 and ended on 30 January 2023. We visited the location’s service on 19 January 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we hold on the service from our records including notifications since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service.

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 information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 8 March 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 6 people who used the service, 3 visiting relatives, 1 visiting professional and 8 staff including 4 carers, 1 domestic, the registered manager, the business manager and the nominated individual.

The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

Updated 21 February 2023

About the service

Abbeycliffe Residential Care Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to 35 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 40 people in one building, over two floors. All bedrooms are single occupancy with an en-suite toilet. The home has a large lounge with a large conservatory and separate dining room. The home recently had a small extension to the rear allowing a family visiting space.

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

People who lived at the service spoke positively and felt safe and supported. The atmosphere was very calm, and the environment was homely and completed to a high standard.

We observed good interactions between staff, people and management throughout the inspection.

Staffing levels were appropriate, and staff were recruited safely. Staff felt supported at work and were positive about working at the home.

Improvements have been made since the last inspection. Medications were managed and administered safely. Care plans were detailed, thorough and were regularly reviewed.

Both the registered manager and the nominated individual had good oversight of the service to ensure people received good care. People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the management of the service.

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 and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (9th March 2020) and there were breaches of regulation 12 and 17.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Responsive and Well-led which contain those requirements.

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.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Abbeycliffe Residential Care 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.