February 3, 2016 1.35 pm This story is over 96 months old

More Lincolnshire care homes ‘require improvement’ but others receive glowing inspections

Inspections: Another three Lincolnshire care homes have been given ratings of “requires improvement”.

Another three Lincolnshire care homes have been given ratings of “requires improvement” in inspections carried out by the Care Quality Commission, with other services receiving more positive reports.

As previously reported, six Lincolnshire adult social care services have been given ratings of “requires improvement” after the CQC conducted inspections in the final few months of 2015.

The three further care homes found to be requiring improvement were:

  • Roman Wharf Nursing Home, Lincoln
  • Cheyne House Nursing, North Carlton
  • Manor Gate Care Home, Wyberton

An unannounced inspection of Roman Wharf Nursing Home took place towards the end of November 2015, with inspectors finding four breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

The home, housing 23 residents at the time of inspection, was reported to not have enough staff on duty to enable people to promptly receive care.

Residents were not always helped to avoid accidents and arrangements to support people to eat and drink enough were not robust.

Despite this, inspectors found that staff were “compassionate, kind and caring.”

However, the report said that people with special communication needs such as dementia sufferers had not always been offered the responsive support necessary.

Rishi Ghai, director of Roman Wharf, said that the home has made several operational changes following the inspection.

He said:

“We have taken on board the findings of the CQC inspection and are continuing to make improvements to our service.

“Recent comments received from residents and their families show the high standard of care we are providing. We are currently rated as 9.9 out of 10 on the review website carehome.co.uk, which the highlights the most recommended care homes in the UK.”

Cheyne House Nursing. Photo: Google Street View

Cheyne House Nursing. Photo: Google Street View

Two months earlier, inspectors conducted an examination of Cheyne House Nursing, which provides care and accommodation for 24 dementia sufferers.

The report raised particular concerns about the home’s safety.

Inspectors said: “The registered provider did not demonstrate how accidents and incidents were investigated.

“People’s safety was not always maintained, because staff did not always follow safe medicine administration guidance and people were at risk of receiving the wrong medicine.

“Also, the provider did not always ensure that the service was consistently clean and that safe infection control procedures were adhered to.”

The report added that some relatives had told inspectors that they felt that their loved ones were “bored”.

Inspectors have recommended that the provider finds out more about current best practice guidelines for the special care needs of people living with dementia.

Manor Gate Care Home. Photo: Google Street View

Manor Gate Care Home. Photo: Google Street View

Manor Gate Care Home was the third service rated as requiring improvement, with inspectors conducting an assessment on December 23.

The safety, effectiveness and leadership of the home was all found to need improvement, while staff were praised for their responsiveness and caring nature.

The report said: “Arrangements used to ensure that there were always enough staff on duty were not robust and some parts of the recruitment and selection procedure were not rigorous.

“Staff had not received all of the training and support they needed.”

Heidi Gotts, registered manager at Manor Gate, said that she was not on the site for the inspection, meaning that inspectors were not shown the relevant information.

She said: “For example, the dependency assessment which we use to calculate staff levels every four weeks was not shown to inspectors.

“We have maintenance plans in place for 2016 and of course it was positive that the report saw the caring and responsiveness of our staff.

“But if there was an inspection tomorrow, I’m sure we’d receive a better rating.”

The Old Hall at Billingborough. Photo: Google Street View

The Old Hall at Billingborough. Photo: Google Street View

By contrast, inspectors gave a glowing report to The Old Hall in Billingborough, rating the service as “outstanding.”

Inspectors said: “Staff understood what was important to the people living at The Old Hall and worked closely with each other and with families to ensure each person had a meaningful and enjoyable life.

“There was a warm, homely atmosphere and staff cared for people with kindness, patience and understanding.

“People and their relatives could voice their views and opinions. The manager listened to what people had to say and took action to resolve any issues.”

Lee Newsome, business manager at The Old Hall, said: “We’re over the moon with the inspection and we’re so proud of our amazing staff.

“We’ll now pull the report to pieces and see if there’s anything else we can do to make our service even better.”

The three other Lincolnshire services rated by inspectors as providing good care to residents were:

  • Saxilby House
  • Elmwood House Nursing Home, Boston
  • OSJCT Eresby Hall, Spilsby