Areley House

Updated 24 March 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 4 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 24 March 2021

About the service

Areley House is registered to provide personal care for up to 37 older people, including people who are living with dementia. The home is a Grade 2 listed character building with a Coach House to one side, linked by an internal corridor. There are 34 bedrooms, all with en-suite facilities of a shower, toilet and wash hand basin. At the time of the inspection, 31 people were in residence.

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

People received a safe service. People were safe because the staff team had received safeguarding training and understood their role in keeping them safe. Staff knew the process to be followed to report any issues that arose. Risks to people’s health and welfare were well managed. Assessment and care planning identified any risks and plans devised to ensure the risk was reduced or eliminated. The number of staff on duty for each shift was calculated based upon each person’s care and support needs. Pre-recruitment checks ensured new staff were recruited safely. Checks included written references and a Disclosure and Barring Service check. Medicines were well managed and only administered by staff who were trained and competent. People received their medicines as prescribed.

The service was effective, and people’s care and support needs were met. New staff had an induction training programme to complete and all other staff had a programme of training to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. People had access to the healthcare support they needed and the staff team made any arrangements as required. This included when they needed to see their GP, the district nurses, speech and language therapists (SALT) and other allied healthcare professionals. People received the food and drink they needed to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. Any preferences they had regarding food and drink were accommodated.

People were encouraged to retain as much choice and control of their daily lives and staff supported them in their best interests. The service was meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

The service was caring. People received the care and support they needed, based upon their own individual needs. The staff were kind and friendly and listened to what people had to say. The staff took account of what they were saying and interacted with them in a positive and genuine manner. The staff team were fully aware of each person’s specific needs. People looked well cared for.

The service was responsive. Each person received the care and support as set out in their care plan. These plans were reviewed monthly and amended as and when necessary, this meant any changes in care needs were taken into account. The service continued to look after people who became very ill or were receiving palliative care and worked in conjunction with family and healthcare professionals to achieve this.

The service arranged a varied range of activities for people. The registered manager acted upon feedback from people, families and other stakeholders and implemented changes where appropriate.

The service was well led. The registered manager provided good leadership for the staff team. The service had good quality assurance systems in place with regular audits being undertaken, Audits identified any action required to make improvements. There was good communication with the registered provider regarding what was happening in the service and the provider visited the service at least two weekly.

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 was Good (published 05 July 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based upon 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.