A care home in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham has been rated as Inadequate overall by the Care Quality Commission.
Alexander Court Care Centre in Dagenham was rated Inadequate for being safe, effective, responsive and well-led. It was rated Requires Improvement for being caring.
Alexander Court, which is run by Lifestyle Care Management Ltd, provides 24 hour care for up to 82 older people. This includes nursing care for people living with dementia. There were 69 people living at the service at the time of the inspection.
CQC inspectors made an unannounced three-day visit to the centre at the end of November, beginning of December 2016. Inspectors found:
- Risk assessments were not always fully completed in a timely manner.
- Concerning practices regarding the management and administration of medicines.
- Care plans did not fully reflect people’s needs and preferences. People were not always supported to take part in meaningful activities.
- The service was not always proactive in ensuring treatment as required at the time people required it.
- The centre did not always maintain the dignity of people living there.
- People using the service told CQC that they did not think there were enough staff to meet their needs.
- Staff were not always supported to receive training to enable them to fulfil the requirements of their role.
However, people and their relatives told CQC inspectors they felt safe using the service. There were effective systems in place to maintain the safety of the premises and equipment.
You can read the report in full on our website.
Debbie Ivanova, CQC's Deputy Chief Inspector, Adult Social Care, said:
“People who use residential care homes are entitled to services which provide safe, effective, compassionate and high quality care. The quality of care at Alexander Court Care Centre must improve. My inspectors will be following up to make sure this happens.”
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