Frome care homes fall short

TWO residential homes in Frome have failed to pass recent quality inspections, which reported concerns about protection from abuse, inconsistent care, and staffing problems.

Rossetti House and Frome Care Village  received only one ‘Good’ rating between them out of a total of ten categories .

Rossetti House’s safety inspection got the green light, but effectiveness, caring, leadership, and responsiveness all required improvement and were given the second lowest rating.

Frome Care Village received ‘Requires Improvement’ for their caring and responsiveness, but their safety, effectiveness, and leadership were all branded ‘Inadequate’ – the report gave the home an overall rating of ‘Inadequate’.

The report on Rossetti House, published on Monday 27th April, said that residents were happy with the service and that care was well planned, but raised concerns about patient confidentiality, consistency of care, and complaint procedures.

The report said, “People told us their healthcare support was good but we found some people were not being encouraged to drink enough. The records of what people had to drink were poor. People’s decisions were not always being respected and at least two people were being deprived of their liberty by having their visitors restricted.

“People spoke very highly about the care provided at the home. One person said ‘All of the staff try to please us. The whole ethos is it’s our home. It’s so refreshing the attitude of staff. They are so very good to me.’

“People could not be assured that confidentiality would be maintained. There was a significant issue with the inappropriate use of social media by both current and ex-members of staff.”

Parent company Gracewell Healthcare, based in Buckinghamshire, also received a ‘Requires Improvement’ rating on their home Randell House in Camberley this year.

They issued a statement in defence of the criticisms of Rossetti House saying, “The health and wellbeing of everyone we support is always our number one priority, and we are constantly working to improve our services.

“The report does show a high level of care and support in many areas, but we have taken robust action to make sure all aspects of the community meet the high standards we set for ourselves.  Specifically, our actions have included enhanced training for our teams, a review of care needs for all residents with dementia and strengthening the quality assurance systems in place.

“We strive to provide a high quality of care and support every day and look forward to demonstrating this at our next inspection visit.”

Frome Care Village was branded inadequate after receiving the worst possible rating in three out of five categories. The report noted that improvements had been made since being required in January last year, but that standards were still not being met.

The report, published on  Friday 27th March, praised improvements in the home’s suitability for patients with dementia and said that patients felt safe, but the safety and consistency of care practices was deemed unacceptable.

The report said, “Staff did not always receive adequate individual supervision so their performance and training needs could be reviewed. Improvements were needed in how some staff interacted and supported people to make sure people were always treated with respect and had their dignity upheld.

“People told us they felt safe, however some people said there were not sufficient staff so they did not always get the care at the time it was needed. People were treated with respect and their privacy was respected.

“There were no arrangements for staff to respond in a timely manner, monitor and support people if they were unable to use call bell equipment. There was not the necessary equipment i.e. sufficient call bell units available to ensure people could call for assistance when it was required.

“People were not fully protected from potential abuse because there was failure to take the necessary action in response to abuse.

“There had been a failure to take the necessary action following a safeguarding incident and identify potential areas for improvement. There were inconsistencies in how the registered manager made sure staff were involved in the running of the service and able to voice their views.”

Frome Care Village’s parent company, Bristol-based PSP Healthcare, has had three other homes reviewed this year: Angela Court near Sidmouth was rated inadequate, Hatherleigh requires improvement, and Heanton in Barnstaple was good.

Frome Care Village PSP did not respond to efforts from Frome Times for a comment.