From failing to fab - Stratford care home’s turnaround after CQC inspection
A STRATFORD care home has made a huge turnaround after being put into special measures following safeguarding concerns.
Following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Scholars Mews Care Home has been given a ‘good’ rating – almost a year after major concerns were raised.
The 63-bed care home, in Scholars Lane, had been told by the CQC that there were serious concerns about “safe staffing and the management of risks to people’s health and wellbeing [particularly around falls],” as well as staff having the right skills to support people safely.
The CQC added: “We heard people being spoken to disrespectfully. People’s needs were not being met which the provider must address urgently.”
At the time, the home’s owners, Avery Homes Ltd, said a new leadership team had been put in place and was working hard to address the failings.
The CQC did a follow up inspection in July and published its findings earlier this month, highlighting the improvements which had been made.
Inspectors said: “People were now safeguarded from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm because safeguarding systems had improved.
“Staff understood their responsibility to keep people safe and reported concerns in a timely way. Where injuries occurred, these were now reported, recorded and investigated. Overall, risks to people’s health and wellbeing were now identified, monitored and managed safely.”
They added: “There were now enough suitably skilled and competent staff who had received sufficient training. Infection prevention and control processes were managed well. Staff treated people with kindness and compassion and encouraged people to do things meaningful to them.”
Lesley Mason, Avery Homes regional director who has been the home’s interim manager since March, said: “It’s been a privilege to work with such a dedicated team to address the areas identified. Everyone has committed fully to providing a ‘good’ standard of person-centred care and enriching residents’ lives.
“The ‘good’ rating affirms the hard work put in over the past ten months at Scholars Mews Care Home, and this commitment will continue.”
Inspectors also spoke to the families of people who are cared for at the site, and they said they had seen improvements for their loved ones.
One relative said: “It has improved from a year ago. Everything seems better. More staff have come in and it certainly made a difference. The care has improved.”
However, they were concerned about whether standards of care would decline when the regional director leaves and a new manager is recruited.
Scholars Mews, however, said it was committed to maintaining the improvements and continuing to provide “exceptional care to all residents”.
Some areas identified by the CQC for further improvement included better records relating to consent and mental capacity assessments, records to support a safe transition between services, the monitoring of changes to people’s health and the better involvement of relatives in people’s care.
