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17
May 2023
Critical report finds 'significant shortfalls' at Harrogate care home
A care home in Harrogate has been found to have "widespread and significant shortfalls in leadership" in a highly critical inspection report.
Avon Lodge on Harlow Moor Drive was rated 'requires improvement' by the Care Quality Commission, while its leadership was found to be 'inadequate' in a report published this week.
In the report, which followed an unannounced two-day inspection in February, inspectors downgraded Avon Lodge from its previous 'good' rating and said:
The inspection assessed three key areas, asking if the service was safe, effective, and well-led. The latter was rated 'inadequate;, while the other two were 'good'.
The areas of 'caring' and 'responsive' were not assessed during the inspection and are still rated 'good', having last been assessed in 2019.
In their latest visit, inspectors found there were multiple breaches of regulations relating to administering medicine, reporting concerns about safeguarding, and carrying out risk assessments. They concluded:
Personal care needs
Avon Lodge cares for adults with personal care needs, including some with mental health issues, learning disabilities and autism. It has space for up to 12 people and 11 were resident when the inspection took place.
At that time, the home was being run by a temporary manager, after its registered manager had left the post. A permanent replacement was being recruited, the report said.
Looking at the leadership of the care home, the inspectors said:
They added:
Inspectors also looked at the way the Mental Capacity Act was used. It is designed to ensure people are allowed to make their own decisions where possible, and when they are not able to do so that the decisions made are in their best interests.
They found there was inadequate record-keeping relating to its use and decisions made for people who were unable to consent.
Read more:
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Inspectors also found the environment of the care home was not always supportive of its residents.
They reported it was often loud and led to them being woken up, while some communal areas were out of use, and some soft furnishings to make it more homely, such as curtains, were missing.
There was poor record-keeping relating to residents' allergies and family members said the meals provided at the home were not varied enough.
Inspectors made several recommendations in the report of ways in which Avon Lodge should be improved. They also said:
The Stray Ferret contacted Avon Lodge and its owner, Care Network Solutions Ltd, to ask for a response to the report. However, we had not received a reply by the time of publication.
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