Abigail Lodge Care Home - Consett

Updated 7 July 2021

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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection prevention and control 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

An inspector completed the inspection.

Service and service type

Abigail Lodge Care Home – Consett 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 who is in the process of becoming 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 inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. 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.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the regional manager, the manager, two nurses, a clinical healthcare assistant practitioners (CHAP), two senior care workers, nine care workers, the administrator, two ancillary staff members and the maintenance person. We observed how staff interacted with people using the service. We contacted four relatives following the visit.

We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people’s care records and multiple medicine records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 7 July 2021

About the service

Abigail Lodge Care Home – Consett is a care home which can provide nursing and personal care for up to 60 people. The care home accommodates people over two floors in one adapted building. At the time of this inspection there were 49 people living at the service, some of who were living with a dementia type illness.

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

People and their relatives told us the care was safe and they were happy at Abigail Lodge Care Home – Consett. There were enough staff on duty and staff were recruited safely. There had been some staff turnover recently and the provider was actively recruiting permanent staff. They had measures in place to promote consistency within safe teams.

Staff were dedicated and committed to providing an effective service. Staff such as the administrator and auxiliary staff routinely matched their hours of work around the needs of the service.

People were protected from abuse by staff who understood how to identify and report any concerns. People were protected from harm as risks had been assessed and plans put in place to mitigate these. Medicines were managed safely.

Care staff adhered to Covid-19 guidance on working in a care setting. There was enough personal protective equipment (PPE) such as aprons, gloves and masks. Staff had undertaken training in putting on and taking off PPE. Visitors were screened before entering the building.

Interactions between people and the staff team were very positive and relatives also said they were made very welcome at the home. People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect.

The provider had ensured the governance arrangements were used to critically review practices within the service. We received positive feedback about how the service was managed. The new manager was in the process of becoming registered with CQC.

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 29 August 2019).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions safe and well-led which contain those requirements. The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Abigail Lodge Care Home – Consett on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.