- Care home
Portsdown View
Report from 15 February 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
We carried out our on-site assessments on 7 and 19 March and 27 June 2024. Off-site activities began on 7 March and concluded on 11 July 2024. At the start of the assessment in March we identified several areas of concern. However, the provider was proactive in responding to our feedback, seeking guidance from professionals, and implementing improvements throughout the assessment period. The home had experienced inconsistent leadership due to numerous changes in registered managers since its opening in June 2023. A new manager was appointed during the period of our assessment which brought stability. At our visit in March 2024, we had concerns around medication safety, and consent was not always sought in accordance with legal requirements. The provider's systems for preventing and investigating allegations of abuse needed strengthening. Some staff lacked the necessary training and competencies to meet people’s needs safely. Where training had taken place, this was not always translated into care practice. While quality assurance processes were in place, these did not always effectively identify all risks and issues we identified. Staffing levels were not always sufficient to ensure care and treatment according to assessed needs. At our June visit, we found the provider had made responsive improvements in all areas, and most staff confirmed this, although further time was needed to fully embed these into daily practice. Staff recruitment practices were robust and relevant safety checks were completed. We found staff were consistently friendly and caring and treated residents with kindness and respect.
People's experience of this service
People told us they felt safe, were happy with their care and said that staff were kind and caring. They told us they felt able to raise concerns with staff if they needed to. People were generally happy with the way staff managed their medicines and their involvement in managing risks. However, at our site visits in March we found elements of care did not meet the required standards. Improvements were made throughout the assessment period. Relatives told us there had been many changes of managers in a short period of time which had led to some uncertainty, but this had now settled down.