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CQC report explained · a nursing home, run by We Care Group

Abney Low Nursing home

17 Queens Road, Hoylake, Wirral, CH47 2AQ

Goodpublished 4 November 2024, 21 months ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the service performing well and meeting their expectations.

The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, December 2023

Anchorage Nursing Home was rated Inadequate and remains in special measures, with serious concerns about safety, staffing, medicines and management.

This was an unannounced follow-up inspection on 19 and 24 October 2023. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives and staff. They observed care and checked care plans, medicine records, staff files and management audits.

Inspectors found that risks were not always managed safely. Care records did not consistently show that people received repositioning, food, fluids or other planned care. There were also concerns about medicines, the building, infection control and staffing levels.

The home was rated Inadequate overall. Safe, Effective and Well-led were rated Inadequate. Caring and Responsive were rated Requires Improvement. The home had also been rated Inadequate at the previous inspection in July 2023, and inspectors said enough improvement had not been made.

What inspectors praised

  • Kind staff

    Most people said staff respected them and treated them well. Staff also said they knew people's needs and how they wanted to be supported.

    “The staff who are here are all very kind and helpful” from the report

  • Family visits

    People could receive visitors when they wished, and inspectors saw family members visiting during the inspection.

    “People were free to visit at any time in line with current government guidance.” from the report

  • Access to GPs

    People could see a GP when needed, and referrals to other professionals were made when required.

    “People told us, and records showed that people could see a GP when they needed to.” from the report

  • Some building improvements

    Inspectors saw refurbishment in communal areas and noted that a new lift had been installed since the previous inspection.

    “A new lift had been installed in the service since the last inspection.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

  • People at risk of harm

    serious

    Care plans did not always explain how risks should be reduced, and records did not show that planned repositioning and fluid support had always been provided.

    “Risks were not always managed safely, as identified risks were not robustly mitigated.” from the report

  • Unsafe medicines management

    serious

    Medicine records and stock balances were incomplete. Storage temperatures were not checked properly, some medicines and substances were not stored safely, and competency checks were missing for some staff.

    “The provider failed to ensure medicines were managed safely, this was a continued breach of regulation 12 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.” from the report

  • Not enough staff

    serious

    People, relatives and staff described delays in getting support, particularly at weekends. An observation of care had to be abandoned because there was not enough staff presence and interaction.

    “There were not always enough staff available to support people in a timely way.” from the report

  • Food and fluids

    serious

    Inspectors could not be assured that people received the fortified food and fluids they needed. Care records did not always match the support provided.

    “People's nutrition and hydration needs were not always met adequately.” from the report

  • Weak management checks

    serious

    Audits often identified problems, but the home did not consistently fix them. Inspectors found the same issues again, including problems with medicines and the kitchen.

    “Systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service were not effective.” from the report

  • Limited activities

    needs fixing

    Although an activities timetable was displayed, many people said there was little to do and that they felt lonely. People said there were no activities outside the home.

    “Quite often the residents are just left sitting for hours with nothing to do.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01What changes have been made to staffing levels, especially at weekends, and how are delays in care now monitored?
  2. 02How are medicines now stored, including fridge and room temperature checks, and how have all staff been assessed as competent to administer them?
  3. 03How do you check that people receive the repositioning, food, fortified diets and fluids set out in their care plans?
  4. 04What action has been taken to fix the environmental and infection control concerns, including the dirty kitchen, equipment and fire doors?
  5. 05How are audits, complaints and safeguarding actions now followed through, and how can relatives see evidence that problems have been fixed?

This was an unannounced follow-up inspection covering all five key questions, the premises and the care provided, after the previous Inadequate rating and required improvements. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 December 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.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Abney Low Nursing home

7 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has slipped, from Requires improvement to Inadequate.

  1. December 2023Inadequatecurrent ratingstayed Inadequate
    Safe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate

    Read what inspectors found at Abney Low Nursing home →

  2. July 2023Inadequatedown from Requires improvement
    Safe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate

    We are reading this report · the original is on cqc.org.uk

  3. November 2021Requires improvementstayed Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
  4. January 2021Requires improvementstayed Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
  5. March 2020Requires improvementdown from Good
    Safe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
  6. September 2017Goodup from Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
  7. May 2016Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Good
  8. April 2022

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 11 April 2022.

Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission. A service can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections, not every contact the CQC has had with the service.

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