CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Aldeburgh House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that the home had effective infection prevention and control arrangements. They found measures covering PPE, testing, cleaning, visitors, admissions and managing possible outbreaks.
- Effective?
- Good
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Good
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Good
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, February 2021
Aldeburgh House was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control and support for people's wellbeing during the pandemic.
The inspection took place on 11 February 2021. It was an announced, targeted inspection looking at infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic.
The home supported people to stay in touch with family and friends through video and telephone calls. It also recreated a favourite restaurant in the dining area when lockdown stopped people visiting it.
Inspectors were assured about infection control. This included visitor safety, social distancing, admissions, use of protective equipment, testing, cleaning, outbreak planning and the infection control policy.
The service was inspected but not rated. This was not a full inspection of all five areas of care.
Infection control arrangements
The home had a dedicated room for infection control information, PPE and testing processes. A staff member led infection control checks and monitored cleaning and PPE supplies.
“The provider had created a designated infection prevention and control room for staff and visitors to use on arrival to the service.” from the report
Cleaning and hygiene
Cleaning had been increased, including frequent cleaning of areas people touched often and deep cleaning of communal rooms and carpets.
“The provider had increased cleaning in the service including regular cleaning of high touch areas such as door handles and light switches” from the report
Keeping people connected
People were supported to keep regular contact with family and friends by video and telephone. Relatives were also updated weekly by the registered manager.
“People were supported to stay in regular contact with friends and family through video and telephone calls” from the report
Supporting wellbeing
When lockdown stopped people visiting a favourite restaurant, the home recreated its interior in the dining area so people could have a similar experience at home.
“This enabled people to enjoy their usual dining out experience in their own home.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are infection control audits and cleaning schedules checked now?
- 02How do you check that PPE supplies and testing arrangements remain available?
- 03What arrangements are currently in place for safe visits and contact with relatives?
- 04How do you continue to support each person's wellbeing when usual activities or outings are not possible?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic; the service was inspected but not rated overall and the other areas of care were not assessed in detail. This explanation was written from the published report of 27 February 2021 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
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, caring and personalised support, with staff competency checks not yet formally documented.
The unannounced inspection took place on 25 October 2017. One inspector spoke with people, staff, managers, relatives and professionals. They also observed care and checked care records, medicines records, recruitment files, training information, complaints and quality checks.
The home supported up to eight people with learning disabilities or autism, and six people were living there at the time. Inspectors found people were safe, treated with dignity and supported by enough suitably trained staff. Medicines were stored and given safely. People had access to activities, family contact and health professionals.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This means the inspectors found the home was meeting the required standards at the time of this inspection. The home had also been rated Good at the previous inspection.
Safe medicines and staffing
Inspectors found that medicines were recorded, stored and administered safely. Staffing levels were planned around people's needs, including support for community activities.
“Records we reviewed showed that people received their medications as prescribed, and were securely kept and at the right temperatures.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people's preferences and communication styles. Inspectors saw calm, respectful interactions and support for people's independence.
“All of the interactions with people were considerate and the atmosphere within the home was welcoming, relaxed and calm.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's likes, dislikes, communication needs and changing preferences. The home was developing accessible and individual ways for people to understand their plans.
“Care plans were written in an easy read format and some people had signed their care plan to acknowledge they agreed with the contents.” from the report
Activities and family contact
People were supported to take part in activities they enjoyed and to maintain important relationships. Relatives said there were enough activities and outings.
“People told us they were supported by staff to maintain important relationships with friends and family.” from the report
Open management
Staff described the home as organised and said managers listened to them. The home used audits, surveys and feedback to monitor its work.
“The service carried out a range of audits to monitor the quality of the service this included health and safety checks and fire checks.” from the report
Competency checks were not recorded
needs fixingThe manager had not formally documented observations showing that staff could apply their training in practice. The manager said they would begin carrying out and recording competency assessments.
“The manager did not carry out documented observations to ensure that staff were competent in putting the training into practice.” from the report
- 01How do you now record checks that staff are competent to put their training into practice?
- 02How do you make sure medicines are re-ordered before they run out?
- 03How will you communicate with and support my relative if they cannot communicate verbally?
- 04What activities and community outings would be available for my relative, and how would staffing support them?
- 05How would my relative and our family be involved in reviewing their care plan?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions; the report also refers families to the more comprehensive report published after the September 2015 inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 6 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 Aldeburgh House
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- December 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2015GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 21 January 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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35 live-in carers within about an hour of Essex
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 £1,260 a week. 25 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Not only was she professional, polite and efficient but she bought a lovely smile and laughter to my parents home.”
“She brought fun and stimulation into mums life.”
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.