A CARE HOME that was rated inadequate last year has now been taken out of ‘special measures' following several improvements.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited The Flowers Care Home, on Snape Drive, Horton Bank Top, on two dates in July after it was rated inadequate at the end of last year.

But, in its latest inspection, officers found that the home has made a number of improvements, and was no longer in breach of legal requirements – so it was able to be taken out of ‘special measures’.

It has now been ranked as ‘requires improvement.’

Inspectors found that the areas that still need more work are the leadership and safety of the home.

A spokesperson for the CQC said: “At our last inspection we rated the leadership inadequate. At this inspection, the rating has changed to require improvement. This meant the service management and leadership were inconsistent. Leaders and the culture they created did not always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.”

They added that there were some aspects of the service that “were not always safe” and there was limited assurance about safety. They also found that there was an "increased risk that people could be harmed."

“Whilst we found improvements some risk assessments required more detailed information and not all assessments had been updated to reflect recent changes.

“For example, we saw one person had two falls and updated information had not been included when their risk assessments had been reviewed."

However, the provider had taken appropriate action and referred the person to the district nurse team for advice,” a spokesperson added.

But feedback given by the families of the care home residents was very positive.

One relative told the CQC inspector: “It's so safe. I always know [name of relative] is safe."
 Another person said, "I trust every one of the staff. They are all caring, gentle and kind."

In addition, the ‘effectiveness’ of the service, which looked at people's care, treatment and support all achieved 'good' outcomes and showed that the home promoted a good quality of life based on the "best available evidence."

Inspectors also praised the staff for being “skilled and knowledgeable” and saw that residents received good quality care from consistent team members who knew them well.

When the T&A contacted The Flowers Care Home, they did not wish to comment.