CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Abi House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, March 2023
Abi House rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with no evidence of harm from concerns about family contact.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 23 February 2023 and 27 February 2023. One inspector spoke with people living in the home, relatives and staff. They observed care and checked care plans, medicine records, recruitment and training records, and other safety and management documents.
The home supported six people with learning disabilities and/or autism. Inspectors found that people were safe, treated kindly and supported by staff who knew them well. People were helped to make choices, stay as independent as possible, take part in activities and keep in contact with relatives.
The overall rating was Good. Safe, Caring and Well-led were each rated Good. The inspection was prompted partly by concerns about maintaining family contact, but inspectors found no evidence that people were at risk of harm from this concern. The last rating was also Good, published on 23 October 2019.
People felt safe
People told inspectors they felt safe, and relatives were confident about their loved ones' safety. Staff knew how to recognise and report abuse.
“People told us they felt safe at Abi House.” from the report
Kind, respectful care
Staff knew people well and supported them with patience and respect. Inspectors saw staff protecting privacy and using communication methods suited to each person.
“People received kind and compassionate care.” from the report
Choice and independence
People were supported to make choices, take positive risks and take part in activities at home and in the community. Staff aimed to use the least restrictive support.
“People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives” from the report
Calm environment
The home used a low-impact approach to reduce unnecessary noise and visual stimulation. This was intended to help people who experienced sensory sensitivity or anxiety.
“Staff followed a low impact approach, this meant minimising sound and visual stimulation for people who had sensory sensitivity.” from the report
Stable leadership
Inspectors found a stable management and staff team. Audits were completed, shortfalls were acted on, and staff felt supported.
“The stable management and staff team supported people to receive consistent care from staff who knew them well.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you decide staffing levels when people have activities, visits or health appointments?
- 02How will you support my relative's family visits and personal preferences about when relatives visit?
- 03How are 'as and when required' medicines reviewed, and how do you reduce medicines where this is appropriate?
- 04How will you learn and communicate my relative's preferred communication methods and ways of managing anxiety?
- 05How are relatives involved in decisions about care and in giving feedback about the service?
This inspection looked at Safe, Caring and Well-led; Effective and Responsive were not rated in the report. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 March 2023 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, February 2022
Abi House: a targeted inspection found well-managed infection prevention and visiting arrangements, but the service was inspected and not rated.
Inspectors visited the home on 19 January 2022. The visit was announced and focused on infection prevention, visiting arrangements and any staffing pressures linked to COVID-19. Six people were living at the home, which can support up to seven people.
Inspectors said they were assured that the home was managing infection risks. This included the use of personal protective equipment, testing, cleaning, social distancing, safe admissions and visiting arrangements. The home also met the requirement about COVID-19 vaccination for non-exempt staff and visiting professionals.
The home had made changes to support safe visiting and reduce infection risks. These included an outside cabin, more en-suite bathrooms and better ventilation. Staff had received training on using protective equipment, and weekly checks were carried out.
The report gives no overall quality rating. Safe was marked 'Inspected but not rated', and the other four areas were not assessed in this inspection. This means the report gives findings about infection control and related arrangements, rather than a full judgement on the quality of care.
Safe visiting space
The home created an outside cabin to support visits during the pandemic. It could be ventilated and people living there were reported to use it often.
“The service had installed an outside wooden cabin after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate safe visiting.” from the report
Premises improved
The home added en-suite bathrooms and improved ventilation. These changes were intended to reduce infection risks.
“The provider had made physical improvements to the premises to keep people safe from the risk of infection.” from the report
Family visit planning
The home used detailed risk assessments for visits and family stays. These included plans for what would happen if someone tested positive while away.
“The service had carried out detailed risk assessments to enable people to visit and stay with their families safely.” from the report
PPE training and checks
Staff received training on putting on and removing PPE. The home also carried out weekly observational checks of PPE use.
“The service carried out a weekly audit that included an observational check that staff were using PPE in line with the guidelines.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are you currently managing any staffing pressures linked to COVID-19 or other infections?
- 02How do you currently arrange visits, and how would you manage a positive test while a person is staying with family?
- 03How often are staff observed using PPE correctly, and what happens if a problem is found?
- 04How do you keep the infection prevention and control policy up to date?
- 05Are the outside cabin, extra en-suite bathrooms and improved ventilation still available and being used?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; it did not assess the other four quality areas and the service was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 15 February 2022 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Abi House
3 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2023Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- October 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodCaring: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2017GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 17 May 2011.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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28 live-in carers within about an hour of West Sussex
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £1,020 to £1,170 a week. 23 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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