The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told Eastgate Manor in Mickley, Northumberland that it must make improvements to protect the safety and welfare of people living there.
CQC carried out an unannounced inspection at the home in November last year as part of the scheduled inspection programme for 2015/16. Inspectors found that the provider, Bramble Lodge Care Home Limited, was failing to provide care which was safe, effective, caring, responsive or well led.
Overall, Eastgate Manor has been rated as Inadequate and has been placed into special measures.
Inspectors found insufficient numbers of trained and suitably qualified staff were employed by the provider, medicines were not always managed safely and record keeping and communication was poor, which affected people’s continuity of care. People using the service and their families were not always involved in the planning of their care, the service lacked managerial oversight, and where audits had identified concerns - little or no action had been taken to address them. The provider was not notifying CQC and the local authority of important incidents when they arose.
A full report is available on this website.
Debbie Westhead, Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care in the North, said:
“We have made it clear to the provider that the care we found at Eastgate Manor was falling a long way short of what we expect.
“People are entitled to services which provide safe, effective, compassionate and high quality care and we have told the provider that they must take action as a priority. We have made it clear where action must be taken to address the concerns identified.
“We have been working with Northumberland County Council to ensure that people living at the home are not at undue risk. We will continue to monitor this care home. We have placed this service in special measures – and we are considering taking enforcement action and will report on this action when it is completed.”
Any regulatory decision that CQC takes is open to challenge by a registered person through a variety of internal and external appeal processes.
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For further information please contact CQC Regional Communications Officer Mark Humphreys on 0191 233 3519 or 07881656012. Journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team here. Please note: the press office is unable to advise members of the public on health or social care matters. For general enquiries, please call 03000 61 61 61.
Find out more
Read our reports about Eastgate Manor.