Home must take action says CQC

A Spalding care home has been told to take action managing medicines after a recent inspection.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) re-visited Southernwood House in Matmore Gate, which had been told to put an action plan into place after a visit last August.
But at the follow-up visit, in May, the inspector found the provider remained in breach of two regulations.
“We found medicine audits were still ineffective at supporting the safe management of medicines,” says the report, which was published on July 26.
“At the last two inspections, we identified concerns about the management of medicines and at the last inspection we recommended audits were strengthened to identify areas of concern,” says the report.
The home is in breach of two regulations relating to medicine, and the provider has to send a report outlining actions to be taken.
The home can provide personal care for up to 28 people and supports adults of all ages. There were 19 resident at the time of the most recent inspection.
It was noted that some improvements had been made since the previous inspection.
“There were enough staff in place to meet people’s needs and staff had received the training needed to provide safe care. Staff had been safely recruited to ensure they were safe to work with people living at the home.
“Risks to people receiving care had been identified and care was planned to keep people safe.
“The home was clean, and staff wore PPE correctly,” said the inspector.
But the provider remained in breach of the two regulations identified at the previous visit.
The recent inspection looked at service safety and leadership and both require improvement.
“People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible,” the inspector noted.
People told inspectors they felt staff were kind. Staff themselves said they received prompting when training needed updating.
“The culture in the home was caring and staff focused on providing care which met people’s needs. It was clear that the staff knew people well and had developed kind, caring relationships with them. The manager walked around the home and knew their needs well,” the inspector added.
The manager also worked with other professionals to ensure people received safe care which met their needs.