Care home in Walberton 'requires improvement', according to latest report

Walberton Place Care Home, in Yapton Lane, Walberton, was inspected back in April and the CQC’s final report, which evaluates the facility against several criteria, was published earlier this week. Inspectors said the facility needs to make improvements across several areas, including the safety of service and the quality of leadership.

The care home provides personalised care to people aged 65 and over, with 62 people on the books during the inspection, but capacity for 80. The service supports people with dementia or who might otherwise need support with their physical health.

Inspectors found that the people who used the service were not reliably assessed or managed, which led to a breakdown in the quality of life of some of those using the facility. Some patients living with dementia, the report says, needed support when expressing distress or agitation, and staff were not always have clear guidance about strategies for the safe provision of care.

There were other incidents in which systems designed to monitor and manage patients failed to safeguard their wellbeing. Inspectors pointed to one person who suffered with risks associated with incontinence and wounds. Although they had a care plan and a risk assessment, it contained contradictory information which did not give staff the guidance they needed to properly administer care. This, inspectors made clear, had a negative impact on the person’s wellbeing.

To follow up on these issues, the CQC has asked the provider to send them a report explaining what they plan to do in order to improve the service, and will check to ensure said plan is properly actioned.

Despite their concerns, the inspectors made clear that Walberton Place Care Home is actually succeeding in several respects. People told inspectors they were happy at the care home, and felt comfortable with staff and facilities.

"It's fantastic. I would rather be in my own home, but I'm very, very happy here,” one person said. “The staff are lovely, nothing is too much trouble."

To read the full report, click here.

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