Care home not always homely, inspectors say
GoogleA care home "did not always provide a homely environment where people were safe and comfortable", according to inspectors.
Wellburn House in Ovingham, Northumberland, which provides care for about 30 elderly people including some with dementia, was visited by Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors between May and June this year.
Giving a rating of "requires improvement", the CQC raised concerns about cleanliness and safety, but praised staff and activities for residents.
Wellburn Care Homes, the company which owns the facility, said it was "confident that positive changes already made will be reflected in future inspections".
The home was rated "good" in its last full review in 2018, although it was given an unrated inspection during the Covid pandemic in 2022.
In their latest assessment, inspectors found the home's cleanliness, infection prevention, and medicines management were not up to standard.
It was also found to be in breach of legal safety regulations.
Some residents said there had been occasions when they did not feel safe in the home, while some feedback "indicated a lack of sensitivity and consideration at times".
'Lifted mood'
However, inspectors said most people spoke positively about the quality of their care and the "kind and considerate" staff, with relatives reporting they felt "welcomed and well received".
Residents also "enjoyed recounting the activities and outings" they had with staff and said these "lifted their mood".
Inspectors said the home's manager, who was described positively by residents, "demonstrated a commitment to make improvements and learn".
They said changes had been made between the first and second days of the inspection, but they were "not fully assured about the sustainability of improvements or best practices being embedded".
Wellburn Care Homes said it "considers the highlighted breaches to be isolated occurrences that do not reflect the overall standards consistently maintained within the home".
It said it had since enhanced "staffing, governance and clinical oversight" and was working with residents, families, staff and other professionals to "ensure that improvements are sustained and fully evidenced".
