Abbeycliffe Residential Care Home is a purpose built home situated in a residential area of Radcliffe. The home is registered to care for up to 36 people who require personal care including those living with dementia. At this inspection there were 34 people living there.

At the last inspection completed on 22 April 2015 we identified one area where the provider was not meeting the requirements of the law. The provider did not have effective infection, prevention and control systems in place. This was a breach of Regulation 12 (2) (h) of the Health and Social Care Act (HSCA) 2008 Regulated Activities) Regulation 2014. At this inspection we found that improvements had been made and that the provider was now meeting the requirements of the law.

At the last inspection the service was rated good. At this inspection we found the service remained good.

People continued to remain safe from harm, abuse or ill-treatment. Staff members supporting them had received training and knew how to recognise and respond to such concerns.

People were supported by enough staff to meet their needs. People had their medicines when they needed them and were supported by trained staff who had been assessed as competent to do so.

The provider followed safe recruitment procedures when employing new staff members.

People were assisted by a staff team who had the skills and training to effectively meet their needs.

People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems at Abbeycliffe supported this practice.

People continued to receive care that was personalised to their individual preferences and circumstances. When changes occurred in people’s needs, care and support plans were reviewed to reflect the changes.

People were valued as individuals and supported in a caring and respectful way. Their privacy and dignity was valued by those providing assistance.

Staff members knew people’s likes and dislikes and supported them in the manner they preferred. People and their relatives knew how to raise any concerns or complaints and were confident they would be appropriately responded to. The provider had systems in place to address any issues raised with them.

The management team at Abbeycliffe was approachable and supportive to people and staff members.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of service they provided and, where necessary, made changes to drive improvements.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

Abbeycliffe Residential Care Home is a detached two storey purpose built home situated in a residential area of Radcliffe. The home is registered to care for up to 36 elderly people who require personal care. There were 35 people using the service at the time of the inspection.

This was an unannounced inspection that took place on 22 April 2015. We last inspected the home on 8 October 2013. At that inspection we found the service was meeting all the regulations that we reviewed.

The home had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who was present on the day of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated regulations about how the service is run.

We found the provider did not have adequate systems in place to prevent and control the spread of infection. Staff hand washing facilities, such as liquid soap and paper towels, were not available in some areas of the home where personal care was delivered. Good hand hygiene helps prevent the spread of infection. We also found that soiled laundry was not handled safely. Incorrect handling of laundry can pose an infection hazard. This was a breach of Regulation 12 (2) (h) of the Health and Social Care Act (HSCA) 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulation 2014. You can see what action we have told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

People’s care records contained enough information to guide staff on the care and support required. The care records showed that risks to people’s health and well-being had been identified and plans were in place to help reduce or eliminate the risk.

People who used the service told us they felt the staff had the skills and experience to meet their needs. They spoke positively of the kindness and caring attitude of the staff and told us they enjoyed the activities that were provided.

We found people were cared for by sufficient numbers of suitably skilled and experienced staff who were safely recruited. We saw that staff received the essential training and support necessary to enable them to do their job effectively and care for people safely.

Staff we spoke with had a good understanding of the care and support that people required. We saw people looked well cared for and there was enough equipment available to promote people’s safety, comfort and independence.

Staff were able to demonstrate their understanding of the whistle blowing procedures and they knew what to do if an allegation of abuse was made to them or if they suspected that abuse had occurred.

We saw that appropriate arrangements were in place to assess whether people were able to consent to their care and treatment. We found the provider was meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS); these provide legal safeguards for people who may be unable to make their own decisions.

We found the system for managing medicines was safe and we saw how the staff worked in cooperation with other health and social care professionals to ensure that people received appropriate care and treatment.

Food stocks were good and the meals provided were varied and nutritionally balanced. People told us they enjoyed their meals and there was always plenty to eat.

We saw there were risk assessments in place for the safety of the premises. All areas of the home and garden were accessible and well maintained. Systems were in place to deal with any emergency that could affect the provision of care, such as a failure of the electricity and gas supply.

To help ensure that people received safe and effective care, systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. Regular checks were undertaken on all aspects of the running of the home and there were opportunities, such as questionnaires and meetings, for people to comment on the facilities of the service and the quality of the care provided.

This was the first inspection of the home since it was registered in April 2013. During our visit we spoke with two people using the service and with three relatives. People using the service told us; “Oh yes they are all very good, it’s the best place to be in and I am well looked after” and “No problems at all, I am well cared for and the staff are lovely, all of them”. Relatives’ comments included; “I could not wish for anything better, it’s a good place” and “I have no complaints, the staff seem very good and very caring”.

Arrangements were in place to help ensure people were treated in a respectful, dignified way and were involved in the making of decisions about their care, support and treatment.

People's care records contained enough information to show how they were to be supported and cared for. People told us they were well looked after.

We saw that appropriate arrangements were in place to help safeguard people from abuse. People we spoke with told us that they felt safe and trusted the staff.

The medication system was safe and people told us they received their medicines when they needed them.

Sufficient staff were available at all times to meet the needs of the people using the service.