Alnwick care home needs to improve, says regulator CQC

An Alnwick care home has been told by the independent regulator that it needs to improve its service.
Abbeyfield House , AlnwickAbbeyfield House , Alnwick
Abbeyfield House , Alnwick

A report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), published at the end of January after an inspection in November, gives Abbeyfield House an overall rating of requires improvement.

Looking at the CQC’s five inspection areas, the service was rated as requires improvement for four of them – being caring, effective, responsive and well-led, but it received a good rating for being safe.

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The report said that ‘safeguarding policies and procedures were in place and staff had received training in the safeguarding of vulnerable adults’ while ‘the home was clean and regular infection control and cleanliness audits were carried out’.

However, it added: ‘Most people told us they felt well care for and that staff were very caring. A number of people told us, however, that there was a small number of staff who could be abrupt and impatient at times, towards them or others.

‘We passed this information to the management committee and local authority safeguarding team. The committee was very keen to address this issue and to monitor staff attitude and ensure all staff knew the conduct expected of them.’

The manager and members of the executive committee of Abbeyfield House, which is run by Abbeyfield North Northumberland Extra Care Society (ANNEC) Limited, are carrying out regular audits ‘to ensure we have the correct evidence in place to support the great work our carers do in looking after our residents’.

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The home now has a new manager and deputy, while an action plan to address all the issues raised.

ANNEC’s Jim Thompson, said: “As chairman of the executive committee, I am committed to the welfare of our residents and to providing them with high-quality care in a homely and safe environment. The inspections by the CQC help us focus on areas when improvements can, and will, be made. There are lots of very positive comments in the CQC report which confirm that Abbeyfield House is a nice place to live, and to work.”