'Lessons learned' as Mansfield care home recovers from scathing CQC verdict

A scathing report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) watchdog last September branded Parkside Nursing Home in Forest Town as ‘Inadequate' and placed it in ‘Special Measures’.

Inspectors found “multiple breaches of regulation”, thanks to failings by staff and management, and even warned that the Olive Grove home might be forced to shut down unless it improved drastically.

But now, only seven months later, Parkside has been praised by the CQC for the recovery it has made after implementing an action plan.

A fresh inspection has yielded a rating of ‘Good’ and the home, which provides nursing and personal care for up to 50 people, some of whom have dementia, has been taken out of ‘Special Measures’.

“The senior leadership team has made numerous changes to improve the quality and safety of care,” says the fresh CQC report.

"Governance systems and processes have improved and, as a result, incidents have reduced.

"People are now protected from the risk of harm and abuse. Medicines are managed safely, and infection control measures are in place.

"Lessons have been learned, and people’s outcomes have improved as a result of the changes since our last inspection.”

Parkside is operated by the Monarch Healthcare Group, which is based in Nottingham and runs several care homes across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire.

The CQC’s damning report last year found that the home was not safe, not effective, not caring and not well-led.

Inspectors uncovered “widespread and significant shortfalls”, while residents were “not always supported by competent staff”.

There were even reports of staff being “rough” with residents, one of whom was “physically manhandled against his will”, while the home sometimes ran out of medicines.

Monarch held its hands up and apologised profusely, blaming staff shortages and recruitment problems, which coincided with a “high influx of residents with complex needs”.

Operations manager Jacki Perry admitted: “We were not ready to cater for this. Staff were not prepared adequately.

"We should have stopped it happening, and we were too late to respond.”

Monarch promised to “bring Parkside back to the high standards of before” and installed a new, experienced manager.

After the latest inspection, when 17 residents were living at the home, the CQC feels the management changes still need time to bed in to ensure “sustained changes at the home”.

But in four of five categories, it was rated ‘Good’, and inspectors were confident residents were being provided with “consistently kind and caring support”.

"Staff support people in a dignified way and communicate with them respectfully,” the CQC report says.

"Staff are trained and competent, and care is delivered in line with best-practice guidance.”

The inspectors accepted that Monarch had been “open and honest when issues occurred, and responded and acted upon complaints in a timely manner”.

Their report concluded: "After our previous inspection, we held a meeting and the provider (Monarch) completed an action plan to show what they would do, and by when, to improve.

"At this inspection, we found improvements had been made, and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.”