Normanton care home slapped with ‘requires improvement’ Care Quality Commission rating for fourth time in a row

The watchdog has ordered the owners of Attlee Court to make changes after an inspection at the care home in Normanton last month.

A report states a decision was made to inspect the premises after concerns were raised over “staffing, training, management and risks”.

Attlee Court is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 68 people.

Some people using the service are living with dementia.

At the time of the inspection, there were 45 people using the service.

The CQC report states: “We carried out a tour of the home with the deputy manager and found several areas that required a deep clean.

“Following our inspection, the registered manager confirmed a deep clean of the home had taken place.

“During our inspection, we identified some concerns regarding maintenance of equipment.

“The registered manager took action to address these issues.

“Risks relating to people’s care were identified and managed safely.”

Inspectors also found missed signatures on medication administration records (MARs)

The report continues: “Some people were prescribed medications on an ‘as and when’ required basis, often known as PRN.

“Some people did not have PRN protocols in place, and MAR sheets didn’t record why PRN medicine was required and whether it was effective.

“Medication audits identified similar themes and following this, supervision sessions took place to address the issues with staff.

“We made a recommendation for safe medication systems to be embedded into practice.”

Inspectors also raised concerns after some planning documentation was found in a lounge area.

The report adds: “The home was not always dementia friendly. There was a lack of signage to help people navigate around the home.

“The provider had a recruitment process in place which helped them employ suitable staff.

“We found there were enough staff available to meet people’s needs.

“People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse.

“Accidents and incidents were monitored and analysed to mitigate future incidents.

“We observed staff interacting with people and found they knew people well and supported them in line with their needs and preferences.

Attlee Court was given a ‘requires improvement’ rating at its last inspection in October 2019.

It has now been rated as ‘requires improvement’ for four consecutive inspections.

In August 2015 the home was placed in special measures and the CQC told Minster Care Management Limited that they must make urgent improvements to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its residents.

A spokesperson for Attlee Court said: “On its most recent visit, the CQC conducted an inspection of two areas in the delivery of our service.

“As a provider committed to providing our residents with quality, person-centred care, we are disappointed with the findings.

“As the CQC acknowledged in its report, we took immediate action to address the matters raised, including through enhanced staff supervision, deep cleaning and maintenance.

“We are also working to ensure that our systems are embedded into the practices of all staff, and we have made improvements to the home environment itself.

“We are pleased to see positive feedback was provided from staff and residents’ families, and we are determined to maintain and monitor improvements which we hope will be reflected at the home’s next inspection.”