Care home '˜requires improvement' say watchdogs

A Crawley care home has been rated as '˜requiring improvement' following an inspection by health watchdogs.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission visited Deerswood Lodge in Ifield Green - which provides care for up to 90 older people - in July following notification of the death of a resident.

And in a report published this week, the commission said there were a number of concerns about the care home, run by national provider Shaw Healthcare.

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It rated Deerswood Lodge overall as ‘requiring improvement’ but deemed its care and effectiveness as ‘good.’

The Care Quality Commission said in a report: “The inspection was prompted, in part, by a notification of a death of a person who lived at the home. This incident is subject to an investigation and as a reslt this inspection did not examine the circumstances of the incident.”

However, it said that information shared with the commission about the death and an incident prior to it, indicated ‘potential concerns about the management of risk in relation to falls.’

In a summary of its findings, the commission said that inspectors found that people sometimes had to wait ‘unacceptable amounts of of time’ to receive support; that some agency staff employed by the home lacked understanding of people’s neds and sometimes failed to interact with residents.

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Records were not always fully completed and some residents with dementia were unable to access activities.

However, inspectors found that medicines were given on time to residents, drugs were kept securely and people were treated with respect and dignity.

Liam Scanlon, director of compliance and governance for Shaw Healthcare said: “We have an ongoing improvement plan that we are committed to delivering and have shared with the CQC. “The plan’s success is reliant on recruiting and retaining skilled employees in the area. We are working closely with our partners West Sussex County Council to ensure we address this requirement to achieve the best possible standard of care for our residents.”