Almost a third of residential care, retirement and nursing homes in South Holland are not up to scratch according to inspectors.
Of 30 homes in the postal areas of Spalding and Holbeach, whilst the majority are ranked “good,” nine have been rated “requires improvement” in their most recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections.
Richard Barclay, of Age UK Boston and South Holland, said under-funding and the knock on impact on staff retention is a major factor.
He said: “It is getting more and more difficult for providers to meet those standards with these obstacles.
“I think it’s very simple. It’s about a lot more money for social care from central government to support local authorities.
“It doesn’t matter which Government we have, it is just one of those things that has not been a priority. We are just storing up a huge amount of grief and heartache.
“We are all living longer and along with that have more complex needs.”
No homes in south Lincolnshire were deemed inadequate and many of those said to require improvement had “good” features.
Homes are graded under five headings: safe, effective, caring, responsive, well-led.
Mayfield Residential Home, in Fleet Street, Holbeach, was ranked requires improvement across the board in a report published in February.
The report said people were not always treated with respect and dignity, allegations of abuse were not always reported to the CQC, staff did not always respond quickly enough to call bells there was not sufficient support for people living with dementia. Though added day-to-day health needs were met, people said they felt safe and liked the food.
Following the findings an action plan was produced and reviewed by the CQC.
A home spokesperson said: “Mayfield subsequently implemented this action plan. Having previously been graded ‘Good’ by the CQC, Mayfield is hopeful that it will achieve that grade again at our next inspection.”
Bank House Residential Home, Gosberton Bank, Gosberton, was said to be ‘effective’ but required improvements in all other areas, in a report published in March.
Brun Lea Care, Surfleet Road, Pinchbeck, was told improvements were required in four out of five areas but “caring” was good, in a report published in September.
A national CQC report published last week into adult social services – including residential and nursing homes, care in people’s own homes, shared lives schemes and supported living services – nearly a fifth of services were rated requires improvement.
Andrea Sutcliffe, chief inspector of adult social care at the CQC, praised hard working staff in the sector.
But added: “There is still too much poor care, some providers are failing to improve, and there is even some deterioration.
“It appears to be increasingly difficult for some providers to deliver the safe, high quality and compassionate care people deserve and have every right to expect. With demand for social care expected to rise over the next two decades, this is more worrying than ever.”
Coun Patricia Bradwell, executive councillor for adult health and care in Lincolnshire, said: “People in South Lincolnshire can be confident in the services provided which are good overall.
“We have checks and balances in place for care homes and home care services to ensure any issues are quickly identified and resolved. Where care homes require improvement, we work with the providers to help them meet the necessary standards. Although providers of social care face challenges with recruiting and retaining staff, as is the case nationally, we are working on a number of initiatives with partner organisations to improve this situation.”
Kimberley Care Village, in London Road, Long Sutton, was marked “good” in ‘caring’ and ‘responsive’ but said to require improvements in ‘safe’, ‘effective’ and ‘well-led’ in a report published last week.
A spokesman said: “Our inspector was really happy with the service and changes our team have made since last year, so the rating was surprising. However, our service has been rated highly by the professional visitors who see us every day and most importantly our residents, whose opinion we hold above all others.”
Capricorn Cottage, Eastgate, Fleet, which was previously in special measures, was said to have raised standards across the board. It was marked “good” in ‘effective’, ‘caring’ and ‘responsive’ but “requires improvement” in ‘safe’ and ‘well-led’, in a report published on June 30.
Manager Chris Jones, said: “The CQC inspection report reflects the significant improvements Capricorn Cottage has made in a very short time. We are working hard to make sure that next time our rating overall will be ‘good’ – or even better.”
Field House, Fleet Hargate, was rated “good” in ‘safe,’ ‘effective’ and ‘caring’ but “requires improvement” in ‘responsive’ and ‘well-led’, in a report published last month.
Kiran Nathwani, a director of Farrington Care Homes, which owns Field House, in Fleet Hargate, said a consultancy company has now been appointed to ensure requirements are better evidenced, but maintains standards are already being met.
He said: “We do feel strongly Field House is a superb home. We were marked down mainly on documentation of activities.
“In my opinion CQC inspecting in the last couple of years is not always consistent and it depends on the inspector you get.”
OSJCT Patchett Lodge, Stukeley Road, Holbeach, was ranked “good” in ‘effective’, ‘caring’ and ‘well-led’ but “requires improvement” in ‘safe’ and ‘responsive’, in a report published in March.
Caroline Dunagan, Assistant Operations Director for OSJCT in Lincolnshire, said: “We were disappointed with the outcome of the last CQC inspection at Patchett Lodge and have worked hard to resolve the issues that were raised. We await the outcome of a recent
re-inspection of the home and are confident that this will reflect that work.”
The Bancroft Residential Home, Market Street, Long Sutton, was said to be “good” in ‘effective’, ‘caring’ and ‘responsive’, but “requires improvement” in ‘safety’ and ‘well-led’, in a report published in September.
Beech Lodge Nursing Home, Frogs Abbey Gate, Holbeach, was judged “good” in ‘effective’, ‘caring’ and ‘responsive’ but “requires improvement” in “safe” and “well-led,” in a report published in July last year.
Manager Ajay Nath said: “We have tightened our procedures around the issues highlighted and put additional staff training in place where required. We look forward to the CQC re-visiting our home in the near future to give a more up to date assessment”.
