Eastwood care home still 'requires improvement' following two inspections

When Eastwood House care home on Church Street was inspected in June 2021, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) raised concerns regarding infection control, managing risks to people, governance of the home and it was rated ‘Inadequate’ overall.

The report found three breaches of regulation, including that some residents were ‘at risk from developing sore skin, choking and risk related to fire safety’.

Since then, staff completed an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At its most recent inspection in December, which was unannounced, the home was given a ‘Good’ rating for its effective, caring and responsive approach.

But its overall rating was ‘Requires Improvement’ after it was still found to be below par in two categories that covered how safe and well-led the home is.

The latest inspector’s report said: “At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the home was no longer in breach of regulations, however further improvements were still needed.

"Risks to people were not always fully assessed and monitored to keep them safe.

“We found exposed heating pipes in one bedroom and one radiator without a sufficient cover in another. Whilst the pipes and radiators were not hot at the time of our inspection there was a risk that during colder weather the heating will be activated, and the radiator and pipes may get very hot.

“People who lived in these bedrooms were at risk of falls and could fall on them causing risk of burns.

“We raised it with the registered manager and the provider who told us they will report it to maintenance person to these covered.”

The home provides personal care for older people, some of whom live with dementia, and can support up to 19 residents at one time.

Despite criticisms, the planned inspection also led to plenty of praise for the service – which is run by Forthmeadow Limited.

The home was described as “clean”, while note was made of its ‘kind’ staff members.

The report continued: “The provider had addressed the concerns we found at our last inspection and had plans for further improvement work to the home.

“The home looked clean and improvement to some bathrooms, communal areas and some bedrooms were made. People were supported by enough experienced staff – one person told us staff were kind to them and staff respond to call bells promptly. People also told us they felt safe living at the home.”

But the overall result of the report means the home requires improving before its next inspection.

Eastwood House has been invited to comment on the CQC report, but has so far not responded to the Chad’s request.