Abode

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 3 August 2026. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of assessment: 9 June to 10 June 2026. We undertook the assessment to check compliance against breaches of the legal regulations.

Abode is a residential care home which provides personal care for up to 22 older people, younger adults and people living with dementia. At the time of the assessment there were 22 people living at the service. We assessed all quality statements under the five key questions of Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well led.

At the last assessment in April 2025, the service was found to be in breach of 6 legal regulations in relation to person centred care, safe care and treatment, the environment, good governance, staffing levels and recruitment. At this assessment we found insufficient improvements had been made and the provider remained in continued breach of 2 regulations in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance. We also identified a breach in regulation in relation to dignity and respect.

Significant concerns were identified across several areas of the service. Risks were not always effectively assessed, managed or reviewed, and care plans did not consistently contain accurate or up-to-date information to guide staff in providing safe care. Medicines were not always managed safely, with concerns identified around storage, recording, administration processes and monitoring. We also found significant environmental safety issues, including fire safety concerns, unsafe storage arrangements, hazards within the grounds and inadequate oversight of equipment safety. People were not always treated with dignity due to the environment.

Governance and quality assurance systems were ineffective and had failed to identify many of the concerns we found during the assessment. Audits lacked detail, did not always drive improvement and had not identified known risks relating to care planning, medicines management, environmental safety and restrictive practices. Leadership oversight was insufficient and there was limited evidence of a culture of learning, reflection and continuous improvement. Communication within the service was not always effective, and people, relatives and staff did not consistently feel involved in decisions or improvements.

Although the provider took immediate action to address a number of concerns during the assessment, we found widespread shortfalls in safety, governance, risk management and person-centred care. These issues meant people were exposed to avoidable risks and improvements were required to ensure care was consistently safe, effective, responsive and well led.

People were supported by caring and compassionate staff who responded appropriately to their immediate needs. People had access to healthcare services when required, safeguarding processes were in place, and staff received training, supervision and support to carry out their roles. The service was clean, infection prevention and control arrangements were effective, and people told us they felt safe and well cared for by staff.

This service has been in Special Measures since 6 June 2025. The provider demonstrated some improvements that have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

In instances where CQC have decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/ or appeals have been concluded. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.