East Riding Care Home in Morpeth out of special measures but still has 'requires improvement' CQC rating

East Riding Care Home was rated ‘requires improvement’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an inspection on April 19, which occurred to check on improvement progress after an ‘inadequate’ rating resulting from a September 2022 inspection.

This means the accommodation and nursing care facility on Whorral Bank, whose residents include people with dementia-related conditions, is no longer in special measures, averting the prospect of it being shut down.

But despite this, inspectors found some “ongoing issues.” Their report said: “Medicines were not always managed safely. Records did not demonstrate medicines were always administered as prescribed.

“For example, signed entries on medicine administration records did not always correspond with remaining stock counts of medicines.

“Protocols to guide staff when to administer when-required medicines were not in place for all people who needed these.

“Where protocols were in place, they did not always contain person-centred information specific to the needs of the individual.”

In one particular instance, medication taken via a feeding tube by one of the home’s 37 current residents had been administered at the wrong time, which “increased the risk of the person experiencing side effects.”

Inspectors also criticised management’s oversight of medication processes, saying management failed to spot the problems identified by the report despite internal audits taking place.

But inspectors found there had been improvements since the last inspection to safeguarding procedures, staff recruitment checks and infection controls.

There has also been a reduced dependence on agency staff at the home, which the report found to have had a positive impact.

The report acknowledged action had been taken by management following the previous inspection, and there was now better communication and opportunities for feedback.

Against the CQC’s effective, caring, and responsive criteria, inspectors rated the care home’s performance as ‘good’.

A spokesperson for the home’s operator, Four Seasons Health Care, said: “We are pleased that the CQC has recognised the improvements made and rated the home’s effectiveness, responsiveness and caring as ‘good’.

“They noted team members were kind and spoke fondly, with genuine affection, about their relationships with residents.

“We will continue to work to address the remaining areas highlighted. The safety and wellbeing of our residents and colleagues in our homes remains our priority.”