The owner of a Hove nursing home said that it had brought in a new management team and recruited more permanent staff after a critical inspection report.
Four Seasons also said today (Thursday 1 June) that it had made improvements – and would continue to do so – after Bon Accord was rated inadequate and placed in “special measures”.
The rating was given by the government’s official health and social care watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), in a report last week.
Four Seasons said today: “The wellbeing of people entrusted to our care is our priority and we are sorry that Bon Accord fell below the standards that we expect all of our homes to provide.
“Since the inspection, which took place in February, we have been working closely with the Care Quality Commission, Brighton and Hove City Council and the (Brighton and Hove) Clinical Commissioning Group to implement a comprehensive programme of improvements.
“We have also been liaising with visiting care professionals such as the GP and the pharmacy service.
“We are seeing that the changes we have made are providing a better experience for people living in the home.
“The CQC has recognised that we have been making improvements.
“The CQC inspectors report said they saw staff who were kind, caring and positive and developed warm relationships with some residents.
“Some relatives described them as ‘a terrific lot’ and ‘brilliant and always pleasant’.
“However, the inspection report was clear that they were let down by a lack of leadership, management and support, supervision and training.
“We have addressed that concern in our action plan.
“There is a whole new management team in the home and they are being supported by senior colleagues in the wider organisation.
“We have recruited more permanent nursing staff so that we rarely need to call on agency nurses to provide cover.
“We have reviewed and adjusted how staff are deployed so that there are always sufficient staff on duty to meet the needs of residents in a timely way.
“We have reviewed and updated care plans and other records to ensure they are personalised to each resident and meet their current individual care needs.
“The care team are being provided with additional training including in specialist dementia care based on the experience of the individual person and in moving and handling techniques.
“We have also been making improvements to the home environment and redecorating.”
The CQC report said that two residents died between the start and end of its unannounced inspection which was triggered by whistleblowers. And the registered manager walked out on the second day of the three-day inspection.
