The Laurels, a care home based in Horsham, West Sussex, has again been rated Inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
CQC inspected the care home in November 2020, in response to concerns relating to the safety of residents.
The Laurels is care service for younger adults with complex health needs, such as learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorder or physical disabilities.
It is rated Inadequate in relation to whether it is providing safe and well led care. Overall the service remains Inadequate.
Jemima Burnage, CQC’s Head of Inspection for Adult Social Care in the South, said:
“This report makes for concerning reading, although we do appreciate that this has been a difficult time, both for everyone involved at The Laurels and also for the local area as a whole.
“However, our first priority is always the welfare of the people who are living at the service. There remain continuing concerns at the service and we cannot allow people to be exposed to ongoing risks to their safety and well-being. As a result of the concerns which inspectors had, CQC will consider what further action we would want to take to ensure people who receive services from The Laurels are safe.”
Inspectors found:
- There was unsafe assessment, monitoring and management of risk for people with support needs regarding behaviours that may challenge, choking, breathing, mobility and posture.
- Risks around people's deteriorating health and well-being were inconsistently managed and monitored by staff.
- Medicines were not always managed safely. People had not always received their medicines as intended or when they needed them.
- People were not always safeguarded from abuse.
- Lessons were not always learnt, and actions not taken to investigate safety incidents, and prevent them reoccurring.
- Staff practice, and reporting systems to safeguard people from abuse, were not always effective to ensure people were safe from harm.
- Staff did not always have the required competencies or knowledge to safely meet people's individual needs.
- The provider had not always ensured actions were taken to address any issues and risks in a timely manner. People's care records were not always up to date or accurate.
You can read the report on the CQC website here.
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