Care Quality Commission inspectors slate Forest Edge dementia care home in Cadnam as 'inadequate'

INSPECTORS have issued a warning notice to a dementia care home in the New Forest after rating it ‘inadequate’.

A Care Quality Commission visit to Forest Edge in Southampton Road, Cadnam, found staff there “lacked an understanding of working with people living with dementia”.

When inspectors arrived in September, they found its 32 residents were sometimes left unsupervised for over an hour at a time “increasing the risk of falls and potential harm from peers”, said their report.

Infection control measures were found to be inadequate, with some areas of the home needing “deep cleaning” while other parts were found to be in a “poor state of repair”.

Inspectors wrote: “People all had the same meals at lunchtime and while the registered manager told us there were other choices, we did not see a list of alternatives or see staff offer people choices.

“One person was reported to have eaten and drank well. However, we had noted she had not had a drink as she was not given her choice of drink and had eaten one sausage for her meal.”

The inspection team called for improvements to the care home’s practices, saying the provider “failed to ensure care plans and records were accurate and person-centred”.

The home was criticised for failing to follow government guidelines on visiting, adding that residents were “sometimes ignored” and were “always returned to the seats if they wanted to walk”.

Inspectors found staff had “no understanding of the Mental Capacity Act” and that residents who lack capacity repeatedly gave permissions and consents “without the legal authority to give it”.

Inspectors wrote: “We were not assured the provider had good standards of infection prevention and control.

“Medicines were not always safely managed – we found medicines on the floor in a bedroom when we inspected.

“Risk assessments were not consistently followed and accidents and incidents were not always reported.”

Forest Edge was rated ‘inadequate’ overall as well as in the sub-categories of being safe, effective and well led.

The care home has now been issued a warning notice by the CQC, which it does in cases where the 2008 Health and Social Care Act or other regulations have been breached.

The CQC stated that it does not have to publish information about warning notices it has issued but said that these are always followed by further inspections.

The A&T asked Forest Edge for comment.