CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Allenbrook Nursing & Residential Care
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People said they felt safe, staffing levels were sufficient, medicines were administered safely and safeguarding systems were in place. The home also had infection control and environmental safety arrangements.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not rated in this inspection. Inspectors noted that staff worked with health professionals and supported people's nutritional and healthcare needs.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not rated in this inspection. Inspectors observed people being treated with compassion and said care was person-centred.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- This question was not rated in this inspection. Inspectors found people could raise concerns and that their individual needs and independence were supported.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had effective quality checks, a service improvement plan and positive feedback from people, relatives and staff. Managers acted promptly on shortfalls found during the inspection.
What inspectors found, August 2023
Allenbrook Nursing Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and well-managed care, with some staff supervision and medicines risk records still being developed.
This was an unannounced inspection on 20 and 25 July 2023. Inspectors examined concerns raised through notifications, and also checked infection prevention and control. They spoke with 8 people, 8 relatives and 9 staff, and reviewed care, medicines, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe and Well-led were both rated Good. Inspectors found people felt safe, medicines were administered as prescribed, staffing was sufficient, and safeguarding and infection control systems were effective.
People and relatives described kind, friendly and person-centred care. Staff worked with health professionals, welcomed visitors and supported people's nutrition and independence. The home had effective checks to identify and act on problems.
The inspection found no evidence that people were at risk of harm from the concern that prompted it. The provider was reviewing risk assessments for paraffin-based creams, and had an action plan to improve regular staff supervision.
People felt safe
People and relatives consistently said they felt safe. Staff understood how to recognise and report abuse.
“People told us they felt safe living at Allenbrook Nursing Home.” from the report
Safe medicines systems
Medicines records showed people received their medicines as prescribed. Nurses were trained and checked as competent to administer medicines.
“Medicines administration records (MARs) confirmed people had received their medicines as prescribed.” from the report
Enough staff
People and relatives said there were enough staff. Inspectors saw staff respond promptly and compassionately without appearing rushed.
“We observed staff were not rushed and responded promptly and compassionately to people's requests for support.” from the report
Kind, person-centred culture
Inspectors found the home friendly and homely. People were listened to, treated equally and supported to keep their skills and independence.
“The culture of the home was positive, and people lived in a homely and friendly environment.” from the report
Cream-related fire risk records
needs fixingSome people used paraffin-based creams that can increase fire risk in certain circumstances. The provider was reviewing the risk assessments to make sure staff had all the information needed.
“The provider was reviewing these risk assessments to ensure all of the information needed to help mitigate this risk was available to staff.” from the report
Staff supervision
minorAn action plan was in place to make sure staff received regular supervision. This was an area still being developed when inspectors visited.
“This included an action plan to ensure staff received regular supervisions going forward.” from the report
- 01What changes were made to the risk assessments for paraffin-based creams after the inspection?
- 02How do you now make sure all staff know how to reduce the fire risk linked to these creams?
- 03How often do staff receive supervision, and how is completion checked?
- 04Which ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive are carried over from the previous comprehensive inspection?
- 05How will you tell families if new concerns or safeguarding notifications lead to further CQC monitoring?
This was a focused inspection prompted by concerns in notifications and rated Safe and Well-led only; the report does not give new ratings for Effective, Caring or Responsive. This explanation was written from the published report of 23 August 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, June 2019
Rated Good, with Outstanding responsive care; inspectors found safe, kind care and strong support for people's individual lives and end-of-life wishes.
This was a planned inspection on 27 February and 8 March 2019. Inspectors spoke with people, visitors, staff and health professionals. They also checked care records, medicines, staff files, complaints, accidents and quality checks.
The home was rated Good overall and Good for Safe, Effective, Caring and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines management, clean premises, suitable training and good links with health professionals.
Responsive care was rated Outstanding. Inspectors found that people's interests, communication needs and personal choices were taken seriously. Activities were varied, and the home provided particularly strong end-of-life care.
The report also records small concerns. Some people said staff could be too busy to chat, one person sometimes waited longer for a call bell, and a used medicines label was put in general waste. The label was dealt with during the inspection.
Personalised care
People were involved in planning their care, which was adapted to their individual needs and preferences.
“People were as involved as they wished to be in planning their care, which was tailored to their individual needs.” from the report
Meaningful activities
The home supported hobbies and interests through individual and group activities, local links and opportunities to stay involved in familiar pursuits.
“A range of group and individual activities was organised by the service's activities team.” from the report
End-of-life care
Health professionals praised the approach to palliative care. Staff received specific training and families had sent compliments about the support provided.
“The high standard of palliative care was evident from compliments received from families regarding end of life care and how well they had been supported also.” from the report
Management and oversight
The inspection found clear management arrangements and regular checks on areas such as medicines, safety, call bells and infection control.
“There were clear and effective management, governance and accountability arrangements.” from the report
Time to chat
minorAlthough inspectors found enough staff overall, two people felt staff were sometimes too busy to spend time chatting with them.
“Two people mentioned staff seemed too busy to chat with them.” from the report
Occasional call-bell delay
minorMost people said call bells were answered promptly, but one person sometimes experienced a longer wait and had to call again.
“One person said they had occasionally had a longer wait and had to ring the bell again.” from the report
Confidential waste
minorA used medicines container still had a person's name on its pharmacy label when it was put in the waste bin. The management team corrected this when it was pointed out.
“The label should have been removed and treated as confidential waste; this was addressed once drawn to the attention of the management team.” from the report
- 01How do you monitor call-bell response times, and what have you done about the occasional longer waits?
- 02How do you make sure staff have time to chat with people as well as provide essential care?
- 03How will you ensure medicines containers and labels are always disposed of as confidential waste?
- 04How are each person's hobbies, life story and communication needs recorded and used in daily care?
- 05What end-of-life care training is currently available, and how do you involve families in decisions about someone's wishes?
This was a planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, including both the premises and the care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 June 2019 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 Allenbrook Nursing & Residential Care
3 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- August 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Allenbrook Nursing & Residential Care →
- June 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Allenbrook Nursing & Residential Care →
- September 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 17 November 2010.
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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