Arnside nursing home told to improve after watchdog inspection
The assessment was carried out in June this year
An Arnside care home has been ordered to make improvements by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), a government watchdog.
Westmorland Court Nursing and Residential Home, on High Knott Road, Arnside, has been told it “requires improvement” by the CQC, the body in charge of regulating and inspecting care and social care providers in England.
Ratings are assessed based on five categories: safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led.
The Arnside nursing home only scored a rating of “good” in “caring” and “responsive”.
It “requires improvement” in all other categories.
The assessment was carried out in June this year, and the results were published on 5 August.
"no improvements"
According to the report, during the previous assessment in February 2023 it was found that Westmorland Court “was in breach of the legal regulation safe care and treatment in relation to the safe management of medicines”.
The most recent inspection found that “no improvements” had been made since then.
It also said that systems to assess and manage the quality and safety of the service “were not always effective”.
However, the systems that protected against abuse and infection were considered effective by inspectors.
Additionally, although all staff approached by the CQC “felt well supported” by leadership and spoke positively of the manager, “they did not always feel the provider understood the context” of care delivered in the home.
The inspection found “leaders and the culture they created did not always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.”.
"lessons were not always learnt"
They also assessed that the nursing home “did not always follow best practice in their delivery of care and treatment”.
In regard to the “safe” category of assessment, “staff did not always listen to concerns about safety and did not always investigate and report safety events”.
The inspectors also raised concerns that “the provider did not always make sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experiend staff”.
Additionally, “lessons were not always learnt to continually identify and embed good practice”.
Despite this, residents spoke fondly of the facility.
One person told the CQC: “I am well supported by the staff. I have found it difficult to live alone and the staff are always kind to me”.
Another person was “very satisfied” by the quality of care provided.
The assessment reads: “Throughout the assessment, we observed care and support that was caring, and friendly. Staff were respectful and took time to involve people in their care and gain consent.”
However, some people felt there was a lack of “meaningful activities” to keep the residents occupied.
"acted quickly"
Catherine Zimbeva, the registered manager at Westmorland Court Nursing & Residential Home, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We have acted quickly to address all areas for improvement.
“This includes strengthening medication safety, updating care plans, improving risk assessments, and completing urgent repairs.
“All concerns have been addressed and rectified within the home. Our priority now is to build on our strengths and maintain the highest standards of care for everyone at Westmorland Court.”