Abbey Court care home rated ‘good’ by CQC

A care home for the elderly, Abbey Court, has been rated ‘good’ by the health and social care regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), in all five categories: “Is the service safe?”, “responsive” , “effective”, “caring” and “well-led”.

In their report, the CQC said: “We saw that staff ensured that people were treated with kindness and that they were given emotional support when needed. We saw staff interacting well with the people they cared for. Staff chatted with people... They were knowledgeable about people’s interests and talked with them about things the person was interested in. All the residents appeared well presented... One relative told us ‘They really care about her’.”

The inspectors went on to say, “There were two activity coordinators working at the home and they provided activities seven days a week. We saw that activities were tailored to people’s need. For example, in the dementia unit activities were short to keep people’s attention while in the residential unit more complex activities, such as baking, took place. In the communal areas activities were left available for people to amuse themselves. In one of the lounges we saw there were large format dominoes, magazines, plastic bricks, a basketball hoop and soft ball.”

They continued by saying, “As well as daily activities events were planned to bring a greater variety to the home. They also helped people to orientate to the time of the year and improve their physical and mental well-being. We saw that the activities folder showed that recent activities included Easter decorations, the Grand National and tai chi and going out for lunch. We spoke with a relative who had accompanied people out for lunch and they expressed their pleasure that their family member had been included as they needed a lot of support to access the community. The registered manager had also encouraged groups such as a local choir, a local group called Knit and Natter and the Women’s Institute to come into the home and socialise with people.”

Residents’ relatives gave positive feedback to inspectors. A family member said, “I am happy with the care my wife received definitely. They keep me well informed and I have no concerns.”

Cathy Charley, Registered Manager, said: “We are really pleased with what the CQC said about Abbey Court. It is truly a delight to lead such a competent staff team that do everything expected of them.”

Hayden Knight, Managing Director for the South East, said: “Abbey Court is an excellent service that has a brilliant manager leading it. I am impressed with the range of activities on offer and how they seem to engage the residents there. I am sure that everyone will keep up the great work.”

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