Watchdog inspectors tell care home in Rainworth that it must improve

Churchfield Care Centre has been handed a ‘Requires Improvement’ rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after an unannounced inspection in August.

Improvement was also demanded in the categories headed safe, effective and well-led. And although the home was rated ‘Good’ in the categories headed caring and responsive, the CQC has asked for an action plan to boost overall standards of quality and safety.

However, inspectors did hear of mitigating circumstances, which could have prevented Churchfield receiving a better verdict.

The home had been taken over by a new provider only two years earlier and “was undergoing improvements”.

No registered manager was in post and although Churchfield can cater for up to 60 residents, only 16 were living there at the time of the inspection because one of the home’s two buildings was out of use.

The CQC report said: “The service was about to commence full refurbishment works in order to update the home as the environment had deteriorated over time.”

The Chad understands the home has been receiving help and guidance from a care consultancy.

A spokeswoman for the consultancy was encouraged by the positives in the report. She said: “The report reflects the improvement, achieved through the hard work of the staff team, at Churchfield since it changed ownership in 2020.”

The Churchfield Drive home provides personal and nursing care for people aged 65 and over. Some have dementia.

The CQC found that residents were ”supported in a respectful way”, with privacy, dignity and independence promoted. The inspectors said: ”We observed lots of kind and caring interactions.”

Residents were”treated well” by staff, thanks to detailed, individual care plans that covered all needs.

On the downside, “risks were not always safely monitored, mitigated or managed”. For instance, the care plan for a resident “at very high risk of falls” was not always followed.

Inspectors were also worried that residents were “at risk of not receiving the correct dose of medicine” because of flawed paperwork. And checks on equipment were not always carried out.

The report found there were enough staff at the home and that communication with residents’ relatives was good. But the management and leadership of Churchfield was said to be “inconsistent”.