CONCERNS were raised about staffing levels at a Bingley care home.

Health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out an unannounced, focused inspection of Duchess Gardens Care Centre, Lady Lane, last December

A report from inspectors said: “This inspection was conducted following information which we received that was of concern which included concerns about the staffing level at the service. The primary aim of the inspection was to check the safety of the service and any risk of harm to people.”

The CQC team inspected Duchess Gardens against two of the five questions asked about services - ‘Is the service safe?’ and ‘Is the service well led?’.

“We found there were not enough staff on duty to provide people with timely or person-centred care,” said the report.

“We found the manager did not always deploy staff effectively. We found at breakfast time there were not enough staff to provide people with the support they needed to eat and drink.

“People fell asleep at the table and were not moved to sit more comfortably in a lounge area.”

It added: “Staff told us the staffing levels were low. They said people were becoming frailer and they thought more staff was needed.

“Relatives and people also told us staff levels were low and required improvement.”

Inspectors said they found a breach of regulation with regards to staffing because “there were not enough staff deployed to meet people’s needs”.

However, the report said: “The day after the inspection, we received written confirmation from the manager that the provider had agreed to more staff being employed at the home.”

Inspectors said they had been told there would be an extra 84 hours per week.

“We concluded the proposed increase in staff made by the manager, if implemented, would provide enough staff to care for people safely,” said the report.

“The manager agreed to keep staffing levels under review. They also acknowledged staffing levels would need to increase as and when new people moved into the home.”

The report outlined that one relative had told them: “I think there is massive room for improvement. The actual company need to be giving them (the staff at Duchess Gardens) a lot more support. They are under pressure. Proper leadership is lacking. No managers appear to come on site to check or support it (the home).”

Inspectors said this was a breach of regulation and when it was discussed with the manager, they were told all concerns regarding staff supervision would be addressed and staff training would be updated.

The home was rated as ‘requires improvement’ for the two key questions looked at in the focused inspection.

This was the same as in the previous, full inspection, carried out in July 2018.

The overall rating for the home is also requires improvement.

A spokesperson for the home said: “The CQC revisited the home to check on progress from last year’s inspection.

"We are confident that the home is moving forward, and our actions will satisfy the regulator when they carry out a full inspection later this year.”