A Care home in Wiltshire has
been told once again that it must improve, and a recent inspection was the
fourth in two years that judged the home not to be meeting national standards.
Due to a recent negative
exposure and a report in a local paper The Edith Ellen Foundation have been
asked to go in and support a CQC failing Service
The Care Home was told it
‘Requires Improvement’ in a report released earlier in August by independent
watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Care Home was told it ‘Requires Improvement’ |
The home has now been given
the rating – below ‘Good’ but above ‘Inadequate’ – consistently for over two
years. It was ‘Good’ in three out of the five categories in an inspection
last year, but has worsened this time to four out of five areas requiring
improvement.
A CQC rating of anything below
Good is not good enough and demonstrates a lack of knowledge of person-centred
care as well as the promotion of good care standards.
This month’s report said that
the home, looking after 46 people at the time of the inspections in July, was
consistently short staffed at weekends and that people weren’t always given
enough food and drink. It also said that written records were not always kept
up to date.
These consistent failures are
a failure to the Service User and their families who have entrusted the Service
Provider with the care of their loved one.
It is also a Safeguarding issue which will need to be addressed during
The Edith Ellen Kindness Audit.
The CQC did, however, note
that staff were kind and compassionate, and that medicines were stored and
given properly. It said staff were well-trained for their jobs, and that
residents and relatives spoke positively about the care being given.
Care home in Wiltshire has been told once again that it must improve |
A spokesperson for the Service
Provider, which owns the home told the News, “The CQC inspectors said
that people felt safe living at the Care Home and they were treated with
kindness and compassion in their day-to-day care. They received care from a
team who knew them well and understood their needs. There was a pleasant and
friendly atmosphere throughout the building.
“The inspectors saw staff
treating people in a dignified manner, ensuring their privacy was respected at
all times”.
“People and their relatives
spoke positively about staff. One said: “The caring is exceptionally good.”
Staff members said they enjoyed their jobs. Their comments included: “I
want to make sure that people here get the care they deserve. I really want to
get things right for people” and “Being able to interact with people is what
care is all about. I feel blessed to be able to do my job.”
“The inspectors reported that
there were safe recruitment and selection processes in place and the staff had
received appropriate training to develop the skills and knowledge needed to
provide people with the necessary care and support.
“People had access to healthcare
services to support them to maintain good health, and medicines were given in a
safe and caring way. The inspectors heard comments from people that both the
quantity and quality of food has improved. They saw that the kitchen was clean
and tidy and had appropriate colour coded equipment and utensils to ensure that
food was prepared in line with food safety guidance.
“People were able to choose
what activities they took part in and suggest other activities they would like
to complete. The activities co-ordinator told us they tried to organise
activities that included people’s past interests and hobbies.
“We are sorry that some
aspects of the service were not to the standards we expect to provide and,
although no aspect was rated inadequate, the inspectors identified things that
we should be doing better. Since the inspection we have been implementing a
programme of improvements to address their requirements and recommendations”.
“As the inspectors found,
staff on some shifts were stretched because of colleagues being absent. The
inspectors acknowledged that we were already increasing staffing levels and
recruitment has continued. We have also reviewed the duty rosters with staff,
as well as a process for letting us know in a timely way if they are unwell so
that we can arrange cover”.
“The inspectors identified
that aspects of care documentation required improving, but they acknowledged
that the home had introduced a new and better format for recording people’s
care and support needs and that changing everyone’s plans was still a work in
progress at the time of the inspection. We are committed to provide good
personalised care and we have been reviewing care plans and records with
residents and their relatives to ensure this happens.”
The company listed as running
the care home has changed, but there has been no practical change at the
home, The News understands.
The CQC previously had the
home listed under the charge of Laudcare Limited, but it was this month changed
to Alliance Care (Dales Homes) Ltd. In
reality another company, Brighterkind, runs the service. All three companies
are part of a larger Umbrella Service Provider.
A spokesperson said the move
was part of internal ‘tidying’ at The Umbrella Service Provider, and would have
‘no effect whatsoever on the operation of the home.’
The Edith Ellen will be
undertaking a full Kindness Audit and looking at working with the Service
Provider, Staff, Service Users and their families to ensure the standards are
raised and a commitment to care assured.
No comments:
Post a Comment