An “extra care scheme” in Brighton requires improvement, according to inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The official watchdog said that the Patching Lodge Extra Care Scheme was good when it came to providing effective, caring and responsive services.
But the CQC said in a report that, when it came to safe and well-led services – and overall – the Patching Lodge scheme, run by Mears Care, requires improvement.
The report said that Patching Lodge, in Park Street, Brighton, provided specialist services for people with dementia, learning disabilities, mental health conditions, personal care needs, physical disabilities and sensory impairments.
The inspection was carried out in June with 48 hours’ notice just under 18 months after the previous inspection found that the service requires improvement.
The report said: “Patching Lodge Extra Care Scheme is a domiciliary care agency and is registered to provide personal care and support for people living in their own home in Patching Lodge Extra Care Scheme, a sheltered housing complex managed by a housing association.
“This accommodation is for people over 60 years of age and care and support can be provided to people with a physical disability or learning disability, people with a sensory loss, for example hearing or sight loss and people with mental health problems or living with dementia.
“24-hour care, seven days a week, is provided with on-site care staff and with an emergency call facility.
“There have been a number of changes to the service since the last inspection of the service.
“The registered manager has left and there has been a period of interim management arrangements.
“Care and support is now only provided to people living in Patching Lodge Extra Care Scheme and not also to people living in the community.
“About 35 people were being provided with personal care and support with a dedicated team of care staff who worked in the scheme.
“On the day of our inspection, there was not a registered manager in post. However, the registered manager from another of the provider’s services had taken over the management of the service.
“An application had been made to the CQC to add a further location on the manager’s current registration so they can manage this scheme alongside another of the provider’s services.
“The last inspection was carried out (in) February 2015. We found a number of areas which required improvement.
“This was in relation to care and support plans and risk assessments not having been reviewed, there was a lack of continuity of staff providing the care calls and times the care and support was provided.
“Quality assurance systems had not been maintained to check the quality of the service provided and to help drive improvement.
“The provider sent the CQC an action plan stating what they would do to address these issues. We looked at these improvements as part of this inspection.
“However, despite the improvements identified, we were unable at this inspection to determine whether these practices were fully embedded into the service.
“People spoke well of the care and support provided. However, they told us it had been a difficult time with a number of staff changes and a high use of agency staff to help cover the care calls.
“But they felt this had started to improve and care was now provided by a dedicated team of care staff.
“People told us there had been a period of a lack of consistency of times the care calls were provided, but they felt this was now being addressed.
“Further recruitment of new care staff had led to the improved delivery of care at the agreed times.
“A system had been put in place to ensure priority in the times care calls had been made was given to people receiving personal care or assistance with medicines.
“Where required, care staff supported people to eat and drink and maintain a healthy diet.
“People were supported with their healthcare needs. Medicines were managed safely and people received the support they required from staff. There were systems in place to ensure that medicines were administered and reviewed appropriately.
“People told us they were supported by kind and caring staff. One person told us: “The carers are really good and they do really try their best.”
To read the report click here.
http://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-1466061043
The scheme employs 16 care staff. According to Brighton and Hove City Council: “Patching Lodge provides high-quality modern living accommodation for older people who can no longer manage very well on their own but who want to retain their independence.
“You and your family can take comfort in knowing that help is on hand. There is a team of professional carers on site who are able to provide the care that people need to enable them to live independently.
“Some people may only need a small amount of care but the extra care available at Patching Lodge means that people who need a lot of care, including night time care, can be helped to live in their own home.
“There are also emergency response alarms in every apartment. So you can call for help at the push of a button – 24 hours a day.
“And for the little things like food preparation or a hand with the cleaning, help is available from the support team if you need them.
“Developed by Hanover (the housing association) in partnership with the council, Patching Lodge is a new generation of housing for older people.
“On-site care and support enables occupants to have continued independence at a time when it may be increasingly difficult for you to continue living in your own home. There is also a wide range of on-site facilities and services including an on-site care team.
“Patching Lodge is less than a mile from the centre of Brighton and Hove and a quarter of a mile from the seafront.
“There are 76 retirement apartments at Patching Lodge, 60 available to rent and a further 16 available for outright sale or on a shared ownership basis.”
On-site facilities include
roof terrace with stunning sea views
hair and beauty salon
on-site manager
24 hour on-site care
guest rooms
healthy living suite
What the CQC does not see and assess is the many people with serious mental health problems and care needs who are dumped by Sussex partnership NHS Foundation Trust, in collaboration with BHCC housing department, in revolting, privately operated “B&B” HMOs that provide “temporary, emergency” accommodation. Caroline Lucas raised the issue about the excess number of deaths of vulnerable people who are abandoned in these dives, at enormous expense to the taxpayer, to rot and die. BHCC denies the high death rate is unacceptable and pretends it is not happening. CQC should look long and hard at the fate of “discharged” mental health patients.