A CARE HOME that has been under extensive scrutiny due to poor practise has once again been judged to be ‘Inadequate.’

Lent Rise Care Home, Burnham, was barred from accepting any more residents following an unannounced inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) over January 31 and February 1, in which inspectors rated the facility as ‘Inadequate’ and placed it in special measures. 

The inspectors discovered that since their last inspection in December, “the number of staff under investigation with regard to allegations of harm had increased.”

The CQC said that four nurses had been referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council following these allegations. The staff at the facility said a further three referrals had been made to the NMC, but were unable to provide proof to the inspectors that formal referrals had occurred. Although the CQC had complained in its previous inspection that few members of staff had completed safeguarding training, only a handful had completed theirs since then.

The CQC said: “This meant people remained at risk of abuse and neglect because inadequate numbers of staff had refreshed their knowledge and skills in safeguarding.”

Many residents were unhappy that staff were recruited through agencies, and did not have time to get to understand their needs. One resident told the CQC: “There are many agency staff who don’t know the residents. All the experienced staff have been suspended. Can be quite challenging to the residents.”

Although the facility had improved somewhat in reporting incidents, CQC still marked them down “because we had not been told about thefts from the home, which had been reported to the police after our last visit in December 2017.”

Steve Flanagan, chief executive of Fremantle Trust, which manages Lent Rise, said: “We have made significant changes to the management structure which required the investment of time to ensure the delivery of long-term change.

"These strategic measures have escalated the pace of change and our efforts are firmly focused on the ongoing delivery of the plan agreed with CQC.

“We’re pleased to see that the action taken is acknowledged in the report and that positive feedback from residents, families and external partners has been noted.”