Hastings care home told it ‘requires improvement’

The manager of a Hastings care home said the charity was disappointed to told it required improvement after a recent inspection.
Old Hastings HouseOld Hastings House
Old Hastings House

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said Old Hastings House, in High Street – operated by the Magdalen and Lasher Charity – was ‘not always safe and there was limited assurance about safety’.

Their report, published on October 9, found that, despite people saying they felt safe, risks to people ‘were not always responded to safely’.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Offering an example, the inspectors said: “One person was prescribed thickener for their drinks and their care plan said they suffered hallucinations. We observed the person’s prescribed thickener was not stored safely and in line with other medicines and staff were not aware of this risk. This meant the person was at risk of choking if they ingested the thickener.

“The person’s care plan also lacked information about how to respond to their hallucinations and the detail about the texture of food they required to avoid choking was inconsistent. After the inspection, we received evidence to show more detail had been added to this person’s care plan.”

The report concluded the care home required improvements in its levels of safety, effectiveness and leadership, but was rated as ‘good’ for its level of care and responsiveness.

Following the report, the inspectors said the care home had updated plans to improve their service.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Home manager Jason Denny said the issues raised in the inspectors’ report were ‘technical’, adding they had been corrected ‘immediately’.

He said: “The charity was disappointed by the CQC report.

“It revealed technical issues which should not have occurred and which were immediately corrected. The focus of our dedicated team will remain on providing outstanding care and outcomes for those involved in our service.”

The service, which provided personal and nursing care to 59 people at the time of the inspection on August 14, was also criticised for its treatment of people living with dementia.

The report added: “In the part of the service for people living with dementia, two people’s risk plans said they required hourly checks at night to reduce risk of falls, but their daily notes did not record these as taking place hourly.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We noted one of these people had sustained three minor falls at night in their room in the last month which showed this was a current risk. After the inspection, the provider told us they had updated risk plans and introduced further discussion of risk at handover meetings.”

Concluding, the inspectors found that care was provided by ‘kind and caring’ staff ‘in a way that promoted people’s independence’.

Related topics: