Abbot Care Home

This report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) provides an overview of Abbot Care Home following an inspection on 29 August and 4 September 2023. The inspection focused on assessing the safety, effectiveness, caring nature, responsiveness, and leadership of the home. The findings reveal areas where improvements are needed to ensure the highest standards of care for residents. The report details specific observations and actions taken by the provider in response to the inspection, offering a transparent view of the home's performance.

On safety, the home encountered issues with infection prevention and control, including cleanliness of premises and equipment, which required immediate action. While medication was generally managed safely by qualified staff, a medication audit had not identified expired liquid medicines. Risk management was not always consistently effective, with identified risks not always managed according to care plans, and some information across care plans lacked consistency. Despite these concerns, people generally felt safe, and appropriate safeguarding policies and recruitment systems were in place.

In terms of how effective the care is, the inspection highlighted that residents' mealtime experiences varied, with some needing more support to eat and drink adequately. While the service was purpose-built and mostly accessible, some bedrooms appeared bare and unwelcoming, and communal relaxation areas were underutilised. Staff are working to encourage residents to use available facilities.

Regarding the caring aspect, the report indicates that the majority of people and their relatives felt there were not enough staff, impacting the time available for interaction. However, staff were described as kind and supportive when available, and people generally felt well looked after. Staff confirmed receiving safeguarding training and knowing how to report concerns.

Concerning responsiveness, residents generally enjoyed the meals provided, though improvements were needed to ensure a more positive dining experience for everyone. The home has a complaints procedure in place, and complaints are being responded to. Staff were positive about the new manager.

In terms of being well-led, the provider took immediate action to address infection control issues identified during the initial visit, and subsequent checks confirmed these improvements. However, governance systems were not always effectively used to identify and drive necessary improvements, as shown by audits failing to flag issues found during the inspection. Although there are systems to learn from incidents, further improvements are needed in managing risk assessments and ensuring information consistency across care plans to fully mitigate risks.