Care home told to improve after inspectors raise concerns over patients' safety
A care home in Hednesford has been told to improve after concerns were raised over the safety of its patients.
Kingsley Cottage on Uxbridge Street was given an overall rating as 'requires improvement' by Care Quality Commission inspectors after a recent visit.
Inspectors found that the service which cares for 17 patients, some of whom have dementia, needs to improve its safety, effectiveness and its leadership. But inspectors did praise their responsiveness and level of caring, with both categories rated 'good'.
A CQC report stated that the service 'was not consistently safe' because 'the registered manager did not understand the requirement to report potential safeguarding concerns to the local authority safeguarding team and to CQC'.
The report added: "People received their medicines as prescribed but improvements were needed to ensure that medicines were stored, recorded and managed safely. There were sufficient staff and the provider followed recruitment procedures to ensure the staff were suitable."
Inspectors raised concerns that the home 'was not consistently effective', saying: "The registered manager and staff did not follow the legal requirements to ensure the rights of people who were unable to make decisions about their care were protected."
The report also praised the home. On the care being provided, the report read: "Staff treated people with kindness and respected their privacy and dignity."
With regards to responsiveness, it said: "People felt able to raise concerns and complaints and were confident they would be acted on."
Kingsley Cottage said it disputed some of the findings of the report.
