The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: Abbey House - Leicester

Stokes Drive, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE3 9BR (0116) 231 2350

Provided and run by:
Leicester City Council

Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

25 July 2013

During a routine inspection

During our inspection we met a number of people using the service and spoke in detail with six. We also spoke with staff, including the home manager, the maintenance officer and two care staff.

People's views and wishes had been taken into account when making decisions about the way their care was to be delivered and they had been invited to sign sections of their care plans to acknowledge their agreement with these.

People told us that the care and support they received. One told us, 'I am very satisfied, if I need help they come quickly enough.' Another explained, 'The staff are under pressure sometimes, but they never rush me or make me feel like I am a nuisance. They don't have time to sit and chat with me, that's a shame.'

Bedrooms were decorated with people's personal belongings and reflected their individual tastes and interests. One person explained to us, 'A lot of the things, including some of the furniture, is my own. And I have all these photographs on the walls. It is very homely. I like spending time in here.'

Staff participated in supervision meetings and annual appraisal meetings with their line managers. Written records were kept of these meetings and issues relating to staff performance and development were discussed.

People who used the service confirmed that if they had any concerns they would be able to raise these with staff. One said, 'The staff are quite nice and I would tell them if I wasn't happy about anything.'

8 March 2013

During an inspection looking at part of the service

During this follow up inspection we did not speak with people using the service. We visited Abbey House to review documents to check that action had been taken in response to our previous concerns.

A malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST) had been introduced to help identify any risks to people's health and wellbeing in relation to their weight and dietary intake. Arrangements for monitoring people's weight had been improved.

Additional permanent staff were in the process of being recruited and in the meantime improvements had been made to the way temporary staff were supported and supervised.

The level of information recorded in people's care plans had been expanded, helping to provide more detail about people's individual care and support needs.

20 September 2012

During a themed inspection looking at Dignity and Nutrition

People told us what it was like to live at this home and described how they were treated by staff and their involvement in making choices about their care. They also told us about the quality and choice of food and drink available. This was because this inspection was part of a themed inspection programme to assess whether older people living in care homes are treated with dignity and respect and whether their nutritional needs are met.

The inspection team was led by a CQC inspector who was accompanied by an Expert by Experience (people who have experience of using services and who can provide that perspective) and a practising professional.

To help us understand people's experiences we used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). This is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experiences of people who could not talk to us.

During our inspection visit to Abbey House we met a number of people using the service and some of their visiting relatives. We spoke in detail with six of the people who used the service, and three visiting relatives, to ask them for their views on the service.

Overall, the people we spoke with told us they were satisfied with the care and support they received. One told us, 'It's nice here, very nice. Staff treat me well, they never shout and always use my first name. The staff are very good.' Another said, 'The staff are very respectful and I never feel hurried.'

People made positive comments about the meals that were provided, including, 'The food is very good, you get a good choice.'

On the day of our inspection visit we found that work had begun that day to replace flooring in the kitchen and dining room. This was a major task and was expected to take up to two weeks to complete. In order to accommodate this essential work the provider had made changes to the usual arrangements for meals.