CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Allison House Residential Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that the home was preventing infections, using protective equipment safely, managing testing and admissions, and keeping its infection control policy up to date.
- 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, March 2022
Allison House Residential Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good COVID-19 infection control and visiting arrangements.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 28 February 2022. Inspectors looked mainly at infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements, and whether COVID-19 staffing pressures affected people.
The home was clean and hygienic. Staff were seen using protective equipment correctly. Inspectors were assured that the home was managing testing, admissions, visitors, outbreaks, hygiene and social distancing safely.
People were supported to keep in touch with relatives through telephone and video calls, as well as window, garden and face-to-face visits. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give a full quality rating.
Infection control
The home appeared clean and hygienic, with enhanced cleaning of frequently touched surfaces. Staff were observed using protective equipment correctly.
“On the day of inspection, the home appeared to be visibly clean and hygienic with no unpleasant odours.” from the report
Safe visiting
The home had checks for visitors, including vaccination evidence, testing, temperature checks and a health questionnaire. Its visiting policy was regularly reviewed.
“The provider had a visiting policy in place which was regularly reviewed and was supportive of enabling visits to the home.” from the report
Contact with relatives
People were supported to keep in touch with relatives and friends by telephone and video calls. Different types of visits were also encouraged.
“People had been supported by staff to maintain contact with their relatives and friends during the COVID-19 pandemic through use of video and telephone calls.” from the report
Staff protection
Staff had training in using protective equipment and all staff had received both COVID-19 vaccinations, according to the report.
“Staff had received training in the correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE). During the inspection staff were observed wearing PPE correctly.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01Has the visiting policy changed since the inspection, and what checks are now required for visitors?
- 02How do you currently manage COVID-19 testing, protective equipment and infection outbreaks?
- 03How do you manage staffing pressures, and could these affect the support people receive?
- 04How will my relative be supported to keep in touch with family if face-to-face visits are restricted?
- 05Are staff and visiting professionals currently meeting the vaccination or exemption requirements that apply to the home?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures, and it did not provide a full service rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 March 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.
What inspectors found, June 2018
Allison House Residential Home is rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some staff and families reporting busy mornings.
This was an unannounced inspection over 10 and 11 May 2018. Inspectors observed care, meals and activities. They spoke with residents, relatives, staff and visiting health professionals, and reviewed care, medicines, staff and management records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found people were protected from abuse, medicines were managed safely, staff were trained, and people received help with food, activities and healthcare.
People were treated with dignity and involved in decisions about their care. Inspectors found care plans were personalised and complaints were handled appropriately. The home had an open management culture and used audits to check quality.
The previous inspection also rated the home Good. This inspection found that the Good rating remained appropriate, with no evidence of serious risks or concerns.
Safe medicines
Inspectors observed medicines being given correctly and found no gaps in the eight medicines records they checked.
“We looked at eight Medication Administration Records (MAR), these had all been completed correctly.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew residents well and inspectors saw people being treated with privacy, dignity and respect.
“The general culture of the home was peaceful, kind and caring in both actions and words.” from the report
Personalised activities
Activities were matched to people's interests and people could choose whether to join in.
“I never force anyone to do anything, I encourage them.” from the report
Choice and nutrition
People could choose food and drink, and staff catered for likes, dislikes and specific dietary needs.
“Mealtimes were calm and relaxed with staff assisting people with their meals when required.” from the report
Quality checks
The manager and provider carried out audits and used action plans when issues were found.
“The registered manager and maintenance staff carried out a number of quality audits.” from the report
Busy mornings
minorSome residents and staff said there were not enough staff, especially in the mornings. Inspectors found enough staff for assessed needs, but managers thought staff deployment might be the issue and planned to discuss it.
“Staff and people told us they thought there were not enough staff, especially in the mornings.” from the report
- 01How are staff deployed in the mornings, and what changes were made after residents and staff reported feeling short-staffed?
- 02How will you keep my relative's electronic care plan updated and involve us in care plan reviews?
- 03How will you find out what activities and interests are important to my relative, especially if they are living with dementia?
- 04How will you support my relative to make decisions and give consent if they cannot communicate their choices easily?
- 05How would you support my relative if they needed end-of-life care, and how would you involve the family?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions and the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 2 June 2018 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 Allison House Residential Home
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at Allison House Residential Home →
- June 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Allison House Residential Home →
- February 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 8 August 2014.
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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