Haywards Heath care home requires improvement after latest inspection, says CQC

The CQC gave Martlet Manor in Butlers Green Road the ‘requires improvement’ rating for the categories ‘safe’, ‘caring’, ‘responsive’ and ‘well-led’, after the unannounced inspection on February 13.

The service, provided and run by Care UK Community Partnerships, received a ‘good’ rating for the ‘effective’ category.

Care UK said it has been working hard to address concerns in the report.

The CQC report said: “Risks to people were not consistently managed and this had put people at risk of harm. Medicines were not kept securely and potentially harmful substances were not stored safely. The registered manager took immediate actions to address these shortfalls.”

The report said staff ‘did not always protect people’s privacy’ and called systems for managing laundry ‘not effective’. It added that management systems for monitoring the quality of the service had not identified these concerns.

The report also said a recruitment programme was in progress but said some new staff ‘had not received all the information they needed to keep people safe’. The report added that there was a system for managing complaints but said not all concerns were identified and responded to.

However, the CQC report said Martlet Manor residents were supported to have ‘maximum choice and control of their lives’. “People spoke positively about the staff and described them as kind and caring,” it said. “The registered manager was passionate about creating a community spirit at the home. It was evident that many people had developed friendships and were engaged with the social life of the home.”

Regional Director (Care UK) Angi Knight said: “We pride ourselves on providing high-quality, kind and safe care to all residents. Sadly, February’s inspection coincided with a high level of staff sickness, but we have listened to the results of the inspection and worked hard to address these concerns. We’ve already seen some notable improvements and I hope that this will be recognised in CQC inspections in the future. I am immensely proud of the care and support my colleagues provide to residents, and to their loved ones.”

See the report at www.cqc.org.uk.