Woodhall care home’s CQC rating downgraded over safety concerns

A care home in Woodhall Spa requires improvement according to a recent inspection which identified safety and leadership breaches.

Heatherlea House Residential Care Home on Tor-o-Moor Road was visited by CQC inspectors, who have now published their findings.

The care home is an accommodation service for people requiring personal care, offering assistance for up to 17 older people in one adapted building.

The report (read in full here) found that the care home ‘Requires Improvement’ overall, with issues around safety and the quality of leadership being flagged up.

It is a reduction from the ‘Good’ rating the care home received at its last scored inspection in 2018.

Inspectors say that medicines were “not always managed in a safe way” and risks to people’s health and safety had “not always been identified or assessed.”

This included nine wardrobes not being secured to walls, posing a risk to patients if they toppled over, and bedrail safety covers were not always in place.

Management at Heatherlea House informed the CQC following the inspection that action had been taken to secure bedroom furniture and to ensure that risk assessments were being implemented.

However, in terms of infection prevention and control, all categories were covered and assured of quality, while inspectors also praised the support given to both staff and residents.

It states: “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 identified breaches has resulted in a ‘Requires Improvement’ score, and the CQC will continue to monitor the care home ahead of a future inspection to try and improve this recent rating.

Heatherlea House hasn’t responded to requests for comment.

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