Luton care home for people with autism and learning disabilities told to improve by watchdog
A care home for people with learning disabilities and autism in Luton has been told to make changes after an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
A care home for people with learning disabilities and autism in Luton has been told to make changes after an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Georgina House, in Malzeard Road, needed improvement across all five areas the CQC looked at, including being safe, caring, well-led and effective.
The report, released this month, found that the provider was still breaching legal regulations governing how the home was run and the care it provided to its service users.
But a spokesperson said it had “immediately implemented a full action plan to address all matters raised after the inspection”.
Georgina House was visited by inspectors between April and May this year. The CQC found people living at the home had not always been treated with dignity.
The report read: “One person lived in damp and mouldy conditions due to inadequate ventilation in their ensuite facility. Other people were using broken furniture to store their clothing. The garden had not been maintained to a satisfactory standard.”
Despite this, care plans did “promote the importance of providing respectful and dignified support in all aspects of people’s care”.
When the inspectors asked how they show kindness and respect, one staff member said: “I show kindness the same way as I would with my family and those that are close to me”, and “I think this is a very loving home, and all staff look out for the people living here.”
The staff who spoke with the CQC said they did not always feel that enough staff were deployed to support people's daily access to the local community.
The report stated: “Staff told us, ‘We are stretched, we don’t go out every day, we will often organise indoor activities,’ and ‘Residents all do the same activities. Some people don’t get to choose their activities.’”
The inspectors also found there was not any oversight of incidents, accidents or safeguarding concerns.
Incident reports and staff handover records were not always filled out.
Some personal care records did not have clear information about safely and effectively caring for them.
The report read: “For example, one person's cognition care plan and choking risk assessment were missing. Medicine records did not always contain clear and robust information, indicating an increased risk of people not receiving their prescribed medicines safely.
“Medicine competency checks were not always completed in a timely manner.”
Staff had not always received the training they needed to develop the skills required to effectively meet the needs of people living at the home.
The home itself was not always safe: a significant gap was above a bedroom fire door, between the door and surround, and window restrictors were missing from the first-floor windows.
Staff supported people in their best interests, needs, and preferences.
A spokesperson for Georgina House said: “While the CQC report praised our ‘kind’ and ‘caring’ staff, we were disappointed in other areas of feedback following the inspection seven months ago, having previously received an overall ‘good’ rating directly from the local authority.
“Following the CQC’s visit, we immediately implemented a full action plan to address all matters raised.
The action plan has been fully implemented with improved documentation, staff feedback, training, reporting and governance processes now in place at the home. We have also improved the programme of resident activities, and are focused on supporting residents every day to help them meet their goals and aspirations. We continue to proactively seek opportunities to enhance the service, and we are pleased to have continued support from our residents and their families.”
The CQC confirmed the provider fixed all environmental safety concerns found during the assessment.