A care home in Thornton has been told to improve after a follow-up inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The health and social care watchdog visited Rose Cottage, Kipping Lane, to assess the service’s safety, leadership and effectiveness.

The care home, which supports adults living with dementia and those with physical disabilities, remained at its current overall rating of ‘requires improvement’.

Rose Cottage received ‘requires improvement’ ratings for all three care questions on safety, leadership, and effectiveness.

The inspection was sparked by the deaths of two patients in separate incidents.

A spokesperson for Rose Cottage said the service users died whilst in hospital and “did not reflect neglect on the part of the home”.

The care service now under new management, a spokesperson confirmed. 

Following its inspection across two dates in October 2022, the CQC said: “People were not always safe.

“Medicines were not always managed safely.

“Risks to people were not always managed and some care plans were not reflective of people's current needs. Infection prevention and control was not properly adhered to or managed with a lack of daytime cleaning. Staff had been recruited safely but there was not always enough staff to keep people safe.

“People's nutritional and hydration needs were not always met and were not being monitored effectively.

“Portion sizes of food were small, with no choice offered to people on what meals were available to them.

“Staff told us the home regularly ran out of essentials. People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible.

“We found no evidence of best interest decisions or consents being gained for sensor mats which were in place for multiple people, despite this being a restrictive practice.

“The service was not always well led. Governance systems to monitor quality and safety were not effective. Audits were completed and sometimes identified shortfalls found on inspection, but no action had been taken to rectify the issues.”

It added: “We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.”

In a statement, the spokesperson for Rose Cottage said: “Rose Cottage has always maintained an excellent reputation for the care that it provides both with professionals and families.

"It has been operating for over 30 years.

“Sadly, at the time of the inspection the home was under new management and there was a lapse in paperwork compliance including risk assessments and audits. This is a shame as our service users have the safety equipment actually in place but paperwork has to fully reflect.

“The manager has been replaced and the home is back to operating at its high standard.

"At the inspection medication was evidenced to be administered safely and there were PRN protocols in place; however the charts had not consistently been completed according to manufactures instruction.

“Public must remember that the inspection is a 'snap shot' in time and at the time of the inspection both the domestic and regular chef were on annual leave hence the record keeping and meal provision was not the norm.

"There is now two domestic staff and another chef has been employed ensuring consistent cover over seven days to ensure that this does not occur again.

“In relation to the two deaths, it was the home that sent both service users into hospital which is where they died (not at Rose Cottage).

“One service user had been unwell with covid for 13 days (second positive test in a matter of months) who later died in hospital.

“The other, a witnessed fall by staff who ensured medical attention was received when the service user became unwell.
“Sadly complications resulted in hospital and the home's documentation was not sufficient. Any complications and CQC are always notified. It did not reflect neglect on the part of the home.

“Rose Cottage continues to be supported by its staff, service users, families, social workers, professionals and the wider community.

“The inspections have moved further and further away from the focus on 'care' and the years of outstanding care provided to paper trail and documentation.

“Rose Cottage has never used agency staff, it provides consistent staffing in the most nurturing, loving , home from home environment and so it is disappointing to receive a Requires Improvement.”

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