Abbas Combe Nuring Home in Chichester rated ‘inadequate’

A CHICHESTER nursing home which cares for people with dementia as well as other physical problems has been called ‘inadequate’ in a damning report.
Stephen Hillier, Cabinet Member for Children  Start of LifeStephen Hillier, Cabinet Member for Children  Start of Life
Stephen Hillier, Cabinet Member for Children  Start of Life

Inspectors found that elderly residents at Abbas Combe Nuring Home ‘did not always feel safe’ and rarely left their room, with one describing it as a ‘prison’.

Abbas Combe’s manager said the inspection was carried out seven months ago when they were ‘experiencing some unexpected and challenging staff issues which have since been resolved’.

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Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors visited the home, on Whyke Road, on two days in February when there were 11 residents living there.

The report, published on Thursday, September 17, rated the home ‘inadequate’ in four of the five categories and gave it the lowest rating possible overall.

How safe, effective, responsive and well-led the service was found to be, was ‘inadequate’, while ‘is the service caring’ was rated ‘requires improvement’.

The report stated: “Visitors told us the home was dirty and repairs had not been carried out.

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“We confirmed this when we walked around the home. Walls, ceilings and some carpets were dirty. There was a strong smell of urine in the corridor outside two rooms.”

It found cleaning records were incomplete, adding: “There was a risk of cross infection due to the poor levels of cleanliness within the home.”

Inspectors saw only one person leave their room during their visits, saying: “People told us they did not feel safe at Abbas Combe.

“One person said ‘I do not always feel safe here and I cannot tell you why’. “Another person said ‘I suppose I am safe but I never leave my room’.

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Inspectors added: “Leadership in the home was not visible due to the loss of the registers manager, registered nurses and experienced care staff.”

The report also found ‘medicines were not managed safely’, while not all people’s end of life care plans were complete even though ‘some were seen as approaching end of life.

Romesh Dharmasingham, director of Lotus Care Group, said Abbas Combe was ‘wholly committed to the highest standards of care and the well-being of our residents’.

He said: “A new home manager has been appointed and commenced her role in April 2015.

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“At the same time the senior management and the staff team have been working hard to ensure that all the areas of concern identified by CQC have been clearly and effectively addressed and that our residents experience a quality of care that meets and even exceeds their expectations.

“We believe strongly that we meet CQC standards.”

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