Care home in Morecambe told to improve after inspection

Draycombe House must make more effort to support its residents to be involved in their community, as well as establish a system to monitor and improve the quality of the service.

This follows a CQC inspection in April - the first such inspection under the Draycombe Drive home's new provider, Ferncross Care Ltd.

Ferncross took over the home - which provides care for a maximum of six adults, with a focus on caring for people with a learning disability - during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although staff had completed training, some updates were overdue due to issues caused by the pandemic. The registered manager had developed an action plan to address this.

Inspectors found residents did not always experience good outcomes because the provider was not following best practice in supporting people who have a learning disability, and did not have the knowledge and experience to perform their role.

Some residents said they missed going to activities in the community, and staff said this had impacted on quality of life and they had raised concerns.

However, inspectors did find that residents were safe and protected from avoidable harm, and were treated with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect - with both areas rated as 'good'.

Residents said they felt safe and protected from the risk of abuse. They were confident and relaxed with the staff working in the home.

They were protected from avoidable harm because the registered manager had identified and managed risks to their safety. Risk assessments were in place to guide staff in how to ensure people's safety.

Residents were supported by staff who knew them well and who were kind, respectful and caring.

There was a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere in the care home, and staff supported residents in a manner which met their needs and protected their privacy and dignity.

However, there were times activities were interrupted because the staff member on duty had to leave an activity to support a person with their care, and staff said there were times it was difficult to care for people in the home.

Inspectors recommended the provider seeks advice about appropriate staffing levels in the care home to support people's social needs.