Nursing home told it ‘requires improvement’ for THIRD time

Inspectors have told a nursing home it needs to improve – for a third time. Ash Hall Nursing Home in Werrington was assessed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in February.

A recently published report reveals it was rated as ‘requires improvement’, which is the same rating it received following its two previous inspections. Inspectors found deficiencies in the safety of residents, and how well the home was managed. However, the report also notes a number of positive points at the Ash Bank Road facility.

At the time of the inspection, Ash Hall was home to 49 residents aged 65 and over. Some were living with dementia, physical disabilities, sensory impairments or mental health issues. The CQC carried out an inspection because it has been made aware of concerns about its staffing levels and infection prevention and control.

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Inspectors looked into whether the home was safe and how well it was managed. The report states they had concerns about the windows and radiators within the building.

“Risks to people were not always managed effectively to protect them from potential harm,” said the report. “We found a lack of compliant window restrictors to protect people from falls from height and insufficient measures in place to protect people from potential scalding and burns from uncovered radiators.”

Inspectors found that, while there were enough staff, they were not always properly vetted. “There were enough staff to support people safely when we inspected, and recruitment is ongoing to increase staffing levels. However, action had not always been taken to ensure staff were suitable to work with people.”

The report also expressed concern that the home had not managed to improve its rating over the course of three visits. It said: “The last rating for this service, in 2019, was ‘requires improvement’. This is the third consecutive time the provider has been rated requires improvement, and therefore have not been able to demonstrate their ability to implement and sustain effective improvements at the service.”

Despite this, inspectors found residents and their relatives felt the home was safe and had confidence in staff. “People, relatives and staff were positive about the management and felt able to approach the management team should they have any concerns,” stated the report. “People were included and empowered. People told us they were happy and they were involved in their own care. Relatives told us they were involved in care planning and reviews.”

The report also stated that residents’ medicines were safely managed and staff followed infection control procedures. The CQC has now requested an action plan from Ash Hall setting out what it will do to make the required improvements, and will work alongside the local authority to monitor its progress.

Ash Hall Nursing Home declined to comment on the report when contacted by StokeonTrentLive.

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