Failing Burgess Hill home care service turns itself around

A Burgess Hill home care service which was previously rated inadequate by a watchdog has turned itself around.
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Olive Home Care and Support Limited in Station Road provides personal care to 17 people living in their own homes.

In August last year, it was rated ‘requires improvement’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and received an ‘inadequate’ rating in one of the key five areas.

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However, since new management has come in, the service has improved ‘significantly’, the CQC said in its report.

Scott McLeod and staff members Debbie Lyons and Victoria Wright. Photo by Steve RobardsScott McLeod and staff members Debbie Lyons and Victoria Wright. Photo by Steve Robards
Scott McLeod and staff members Debbie Lyons and Victoria Wright. Photo by Steve Robards

The service was given an overall ‘good’ rating after an inspection from health bosses on February 26, this year.

Registered manager Scott McLeod said he and staff were feeling proud about the result.

“When I came in after the previous manager resigned we had to disregard everything,” he said.

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“We now have new policies and documents. It has been a challenge, I had minimal staff when I joined, but I now have well-trained staff and we have completely turned the service around.

“The customers have said the change is remarkable. We just want to put out there now that Oliver Home Care and Support Limited has been taken over.

“All the problems that were found previously have been rectified. We have been re-inspected and we received an overall rating of ‘good’.”

The home care service provides personal care to people living with physical disabilities, mental health needs and dementia.

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In the CQC report it said improvements to the service and quality of care people received had ‘significantly improved’ since the last inspection and introduction of a new management team.

Mr McLeod said: “The service was four weeks from being closed down because it was so unsafe. So I just want to put out there that we are proud and have made a difference.

“The service has always had a bad reputation too, which I discovered, and I want to change that.”

He said the care service was striving for an even better result next time.

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“I know we have still got improvements to make and we are striving to be better next time,” he said.

The CQC report said people were protected from the risk of abuse. People and their relatives also said staff were kind and compassionate.

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