Lincoln care home in special measures after ‘inadequate’ CQC report

A care home in Lincoln has been given an ‘inadequate’ rating from a CQC inspection, with the health and social care regulators placing the service under special measures until improvements are made.

A Care Quality Commission inspection at Welbourn Hall Nursing Home on Hall Lane in Welbourn, Lincoln, took place on October 20 and 26, with the report of the findings published on Monday, November 28 – which you can read in full here.

The service was given an overall rating of ‘Inadequate’ due to issues surrounding the safety and leadership at the care home, dropping from a ‘Good’ score in its last inspection.

Welbourn Hall Nursing Home, managed by Welbourn Healthcare Ltd, provides personal and nursing care for up to 40 people aged 65 and over, with accommodation spread over two floors.

The CQC inspectors found that people’s prescribed medicines were “not managed safely”, including the ordering, monitoring and guidance available for staff to relay this information.

Breaches were identified in how risks were assessed and managed, as well as staff deployment, training and competency, plus management oversight and leadership.

Leaders were blamed for creating a culture which “did not assure the delivery of high-quality care”, citing the fact that the registered manager was frequently covering nursing shifts – leading to a negative impact on their ability to oversee and manage the service.

Despite staff being recruited safely, concerns were expressed around “gaps in all refresher training” as deployment was “not sufficient” in one part of the home.

The CQC also claims that Welbourn Hall “failed to ensure people’s individual care needs had been fully assessed”, but one resident told inspectors that they are “looked after very well” by the care home staff.

Due to being given the ‘Inadequate’ score, Welbourn Hall has been placed in special measures, meaning the CQC will keep the service under review and re-inspect within six months to check for improvements.

Should improvements not be made within the timeframe, the CQC will take action in line with enforcement procedures, which could result in the provider being prevented from operating the service and eventually having their registration altered or cancelled.

However, there were positives to take from the report for the care home, as inspectors found that overall infection prevention and control was good, and the service was clean and hygienic.

A spokesperson for Welbourn Hall Nursing Home said they were “saddened” by the findings in the report and have “immediately” put systems and processes in place to address the issues flagged up by the CQC.

“These concerns raised posed an increase risk to our residents,” they said. “Systems and processes were immediately set in to place to mitigate those risks.

“External auditors were also employed to oversee the implementation and we look forward to CQC’s return visit in the coming weeks.

“Local authorities have been very supportive of Welbourn Hall throughout this process. Our residents are our highest priority as always, and as you will also see from the report, our residents and families are very happy with the care provided at Welbourn Hall.

“Families have also been informed and will continually be updated and we are always available to answer any concerns they may have.”

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