Staff ‘very disappointed’ as West Sussex retirement home gets ‘requires improvement’ rating after latest inspection

London Care said its team at Lingfield Lodge were ‘very disappointed’ and said senior management are working on a ‘robust action plan’ to address the issues.

The CQC report said the domiciliary care service received the ‘requires improvement’ rating in all categories – Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led.

The inspection took place on March 9-10 and the report was published on June 23. It can be read at www.cqc.org.uk.

It said: “People’s mental and physical health needs, and associated risks, were not always assessed appropriately so that staff could provide safe and responsive support. The service did not have enough appropriately skilled staff to meet some people's needs.”

The report continued: “Some people received support with their medicines although these were not always managed safely and effectively. There were sufficient staff to support people although feedback from people on the timings and lengths of calls were mixed.”

The report said that people did not always receive personalised care either, adding that some care plans ‘lacked detail about people’s physical and mental conditions’. But it said that staff understood how to apply the principles of safeguarding people.

The CQC said it will request an action plan from Lingfield Lodge to understand how they plan to improve standards.

A senior spokesperson for London Care said: “Everyone in London Care’s team at Lingfield Lodge was naturally very disappointed to receive a ‘requires improvement’ rating from the CQC following the inspection carried out in March. We accept the findings and offer our sincere apologies to anyone at the site that has been dissatisfied with the care they have received from us.

“We view criticism as an opportunity to improve and have already carried out our own internal audit following the inspection. Senior management are continuing to supervise the development of a robust action plan for submission to the regulator addressing each of the issues identified and we are also keeping our local authority commissioners informed on our progress.

“We have confidence in the hard-working team of care staff at the scheme, and our own enquiries have determined that most of the issues identified were the result of inconsistent management. We have already addressed this by assigning an interim manager to cover whilst the permanent manager finishes her maternity leave. Recruitment has stabilised and there are already signs of improvement – over the past four months, 95 per cent of those we support at Lingfield Lodge have told us they are either ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the care they receive. We thank tenants and their families for their patience and understanding whilst we work to deliver the service they deserve.”

The CQC report said London Care (Lingfield Lodge) provides personal care for people living in extra care housing in a purpose-built block of flats that can accommodate up to 48 people. It said ‘extra care’ housing is for people who need ‘some help to look after themselves, but not at the level provided by a residential care home’.