Westfield House

Abbeyfield Loughborough is a residential service providing support to younger people, and older people living with dementia. The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulation in relation to staffing. Improvements were found at this assessment and the provider was no longer in breach of the regulation.

The provider had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. The manager investigated incidents thoroughly. People were protected and kept safe. Staff understood and managed risks.

The facilities and equipment met people’s needs, were mainly clean and any risks identified were mitigated. However, we identified handrails had chipped paint which exposed porous wood making it difficult to clean effectively. Improvements and redecoration were ongoing at the service.

There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience to care for people. Managers made sure staff received training and regular supervisions to maintain high-quality care.

Medicines were not always stored safely, we identified fridge temperatures had dropped below the required minimum. However, when brought to the provider’s attention this was acted upon promptly. Medicines were administered safely. Staff made sure people understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent. Staff involved relevant people and made decisions in people’s best interests where they did not have capacity. Staff responded to people in a timely way.

The provider supported staff well-being. Staff provided information people could understand. People and relatives knew how to give feedback and were confident the provider took it seriously and acted on it.

Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and supportive. Managers were receptive to new ideas. There was a culture of continuous improvement. There was evidence of positive changes that had been made to the service since our last assessment.The provider made the decision to close Ingleside, an additional part of the service, which reduced their maximum capacity, to enable a more focussed and effective implementation of the required improvements.