Shropshire care home is told to clean up its act
A care home has been told it must improve after a health watchdog found there were not enough staff on duty and the home was unclean.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) report for Ditton Priors Care Centre near Bridgnorth was one of 61 made public after the latest batch of inspections.
It has been given a 'requires improvement' rating, one up from the worst, which is 'inadequate'.
Te centre, in Ashfield Road, provides accommodation and care for up to 23 older people and people living with dementia.
When the inspection was carried out on May 6 and 7, there were 20 people living at the home.
The team found that there were not enough staff on duty at all times to ensure people's needs were met. For example, they saw there were no staff available to support people with their breakfast but three staff were in the corridor talking amongst themselves.
Inspectors also said the home was unclean and placed people at risk of cross contamination.
They found people did not always receive their prescribed medicines as directed by the GP and some medicines were not securely stored.
But the report said people had told inspectors they felt safe living in the home and staff had received safeguarding training and were aware of how to protect people from harm.
It added: "Staff were supported by the manager and had access to regular supervision. People told us that staff were kind and they felt safe living in the home.
"People told us that they were happy with the meals provided and we saw that they had access to drinks at all times.
"However people told us that there were not enough social activities provided. We saw that staff's attitude did not ensure the cleanliness of the home. We saw a staff member cause a spillage and no attempt was made to clean it up and this placed people at risk of slipping."
Ditton Prior Care Centre declined to comment. Another care establishment – Beulah House in Market Drayton – was rated 'good'.
"Paul Farmer, managing director of St Philips Care, which runs the Ditton Priors Care Centre, said: "St Philips Care is committed to providing the highest standards of care to ensure that our residents remain safe and achieve the best outcomes achievable.
"We work closely with all our stakeholders on an ongoing basis to maintain this position.
"The home is led by an experienced manager and a dedicated team of staff. The CQC visit identified some areas principally administrative, which required attention.
"Most of the actions required were accomplished on the day of their visit and where necessary the home has implemented change to ensure that we overtly demonstrate the quality care we provide."
