CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Abney Court
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People said they felt safe, and inspectors found risk assessments, emergency plans, staff checks and infection-control arrangements in place. Medicines were generally managed safely, but records for rotating medicine patches were not always completed consistently.
- Effective?
- Good
- The report does not give a rating or detailed findings for Effective.
- Caring?
- Good
- The report does not give a rating or detailed findings for Caring, although inspectors recorded positive comments about respectful, person-centred support.
- Responsive?
- Good
- The report does not give a rating or detailed findings for Responsive, although it says complaints were investigated and responded to appropriately.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found the home was well managed, with audits, an improvement plan and opportunities for people, families and staff to give feedback. The rating remained Good from the previous inspection.
What inspectors found, May 2023
Abney Court is rated Good; inspectors found people were safe and the home was well managed, with a minor medicines-recording gap.
This was an unannounced inspection on 5 April and 20 April 2023. One inspector and an Expert by Experience spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and health professionals. They also checked care records, medicines, staffing, recruitment, training, the building and management records.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe and Well-led were both rated Good, and both ratings remained unchanged from the previous inspection. People said they felt safe, staff understood their responsibilities, risks were assessed, and medicines were generally managed safely.
Inspectors found kind and person-centred care. People and relatives felt staff listened to them and responded to concerns. The management team used audits, meetings and an improvement plan to identify and make changes.
Inspectors found that body maps for rotating medicine patches were not always completed consistently. The registered manager responded to this feedback. The report also says the home no longer provides nursing care and plans to deregister from that regulated activity.
People felt safe
People and relatives told inspectors they felt safe. Staff had safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities.
“People consistently told us they felt safe living at Abney court.” from the report
Person-centred care
People, relatives and professionals said staff knew people well, listened to them and treated them respectfully.
“People felt the service was well managed, their views were respected, and needs met.” from the report
Strong management checks
The registered manager carried out audits and used meetings and reviews to identify learning and improvements.
“The registered manager completed a variety of checks and audits of the service and care records.” from the report
Good partnership working
Inspectors found that staff worked well with external professionals and supported visits and communication.
“Communication with the staff is brilliant, they know people's needs.” from the report
Some training shortfalls
minorOverall training compliance was sufficient, but some areas were still below the expected level and were being addressed through an ongoing training programme.
“Overall training compliance was sufficient with any areas of shortfall being addressed within an ongoing training programme.” from the report
- 01How do you now check that medicine patches are rotated correctly and that the body maps are completed every time?
- 02Which staff training areas had shortfalls, and when will the ongoing training programme be complete?
- 03What care and support can you provide now that the home no longer provides nursing care?
- 04What improvements are included in the current improvement plan, and how will families be updated on progress?
- 05How can residents and relatives raise concerns, and how quickly will the home respond?
This was an unannounced inspection that looked at the building and care, but the report only gives ratings for Safe and Well-led; the other three question ratings are not given. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 May 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, December 2017
Abney Court was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some improvements needed in activities, complaints learning and staff follow-up.
This was an unannounced first inspection on 4 October 2017. Inspectors spoke with people living there, relatives, staff and managers. They observed care, looked around the home and checked eight people's care records and other documents.
The home was rated Good overall and Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People told inspectors they felt safe and well cared for. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, good training, respectful care and person-centred support plans.
There were some smaller shortfalls. Some people felt bored or had limited activities. One medicine box had an extra capsule, some staff had missed fire drills and one agreed supervision action had not been followed up. Complaint investigations did not always show what had been learned.
People felt safe
People told inspectors they felt safe. The home used risk assessments, had enough staff and followed checks before employing staff.
“People who used the service told us they felt safe.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw staff being attentive, kind and caring. People's privacy, dignity, preferences and independence were respected.
“During the inspection we observed staff interactions with people and saw they respected people's privacy and dignity.” from the report
Personalised support
Care records included people's likes, dislikes, interests, communication needs and preferred routines. Support plans were reviewed regularly or when needs changed.
“People's care files contained information about their individual likes and dislikes, hobbies and interests.” from the report
Food and dining
People enjoyed the food and were offered choice, snacks and drinks. Inspectors saw pleasant dining arrangements and appropriate support for people at risk of malnutrition.
“People had pleasant dining experiences.” from the report
Open management
People, relatives and staff had opportunities to give their views through meetings and surveys. Inspectors found systems to monitor quality and take action.
“The provider had systems and processes in place to help measure, monitor and improve quality in the service.” from the report
Safeguarding information
minorThere was no safeguarding information displayed in the home about how to report concerns. Managers said posters had been ordered.
“We noted there was no information displayed in the service around safeguarding and how to report safeguarding concerns.” from the report
Staff supervision follow-up
needs fixingOne staff member had been promised support after concerns about performance, but inspectors could not find evidence that this support had been provided.
“We did not see any evidence to show this was provided.” from the report
Activities for some people
needs fixingTwo people said there was not enough to do. One person with limited mobility said they felt limited and bored.
“I have limited mobility and can walk only short distances so I feel limited and I am bored.” from the report
Learning from complaints
needs fixingSome complaint records did not show a robust investigation or how the home would prevent a similar problem happening again. A new complaints format was being introduced.
“We saw some examples which did not evidence a robust investigation or lessons learned.” from the report
Medicine discrepancy
seriousInspectors counted nine boxed medicines. Eight were correct, but one box had an additional capsule. The discrepancy was to be investigated.
“Eight were correct; one box had an additional capsule.” from the report
- 01What activities are now available for people with limited mobility, and how do you check that they are not becoming bored?
- 02What changes were made to the complaints process, and how do you record and act on lessons learned?
- 03How are medicine counts and discrepancies checked and followed up?
- 04How do you make sure fire drills and other required staff training are completed?
- 05If nursing care is now offered, what nursing staff are available and how is this care provided?
This was an unannounced first comprehensive inspection covering all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 December 2017 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 Abney Court
2 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- May 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2017GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2015
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 7 September 2015.
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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At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of Stockport
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 £980 to £1,260 a week. 88 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Primrose is a very kind and compassionate healthcare professional”
“She is an exemplary carer, she is knowledgable empathetic and very respectful in the home.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.