February 28, 2023 4.00 pm This story is over 23 months old

Grimsby care home ‘requires improvement’ over medicine practices

The care home was praised in other categories

By Local Democracy Reporter

A care home in Grimsby requires improvement according to the CQC, despite glowing references to its cleanliness, staffing and safety of residents.

A breach in medicine management was found by inspectors.

The Grove Care Home in Waltham, near Grimsby, was inspected on February 7, and the Care Quality Commission has now published the results.

The overall score for the care home was ‘Requires Improvement’ with issues flagged up in the “safe” and well-led” categories of inspection – a reduction from its last rating of ‘Good’ in 2020.

According to the CQC’s report, the issues relate to medicine practices “not always being in line with best practice guidelines” and lessons not always being learned when incidents occur at the home.

Inspectors said: “A system was in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service; however this was not always effective in identifying and addressing issues.”

However, the CQC inspectors also found plenty to praise the care home on, including the safe and cared for feeling of the residents.

Staff were found to have been safely recruited and well practiced in the care home’s training and safeguarding responsibilities, with people speaking highly of the management at the home.

The report also states: “The home was clean and tidy, and additional cleaning ensured people were safe from the risk of infection.

“People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.”

The CQC has requested an action plan from the care home to outline how improvements will be made, with regulators monitoring the progress of this before its next inspection.

Country Court, the operator of The Grove is disappointed, but has reassured residents and their families that they have been working hard, together with the company’s operations team to put in place a robust action plan.

“Many aspects of the care at The Grove Care Home were praised in the recent CQC report,” Home Manager Kelly Lofts said.

“We have a fantastic, dedicated and committed staff team here who put the needs of our residents at the heart of everything they do. We will of course be addressing the issues highlighted in the report as a matter of urgency.”


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