Kent Care Home Placed in Special Measures Following CQC Report on Resident Safety

A care facility in Kent has been subjected to special measures after a report concluded that its residents faced an “increased risk of harm” due to a decline in the standard of care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC), a regulatory body, instructed Gordon Lodge Rest Home (GLRH) in Westgate-on-Sea to implement urgent improvements after designating it as “inadequate” in a report released on Friday. According to the report, GLRH exhibited deficiencies in medicine management and challenges in identifying potential infection risks for patients. GLRH stated that while it was disappointed with the outcome of the latest inspection, it acknowledged that there were “areas where improvements are required.” The CQC further noted that an unsatisfactory workplace culture at the care home, which has capacity for 33 residents, negatively impacted the quality of care and contributed to a significant staff turnover rate. The inspection, conducted in September, was initiated because the home had previously been informed that improvements were necessary. Serena Coleman, CQC deputy director of operations in the south, stated: “Staff left their jobs due to lack of support and involvement in service improvements, leading to understaffing and inconsistent care. “People living in the home felt unable to speak up about problems. “This created an environment where neither staff nor residents felt empowered to highlight issues that needed addressing.” The report additionally highlighted that staff were managing patients’ medicines “poorly,” citing instances where records were not consistently updated accurately or medication was not administered. Ms Coleman commented: “Staff applied one resident’s pain relief patch a day late, causing potential unnecessary pain, and failed to investigate or prevent future incidents.”We have told Gordon Lodge Rest Home where we expect to see rapid and widespread improvements and it has been placed into special measures while these changes are made.”We will return to re-inspect the home and won’t hesitate to use our regulatory powers further if people aren’t receiving the care they have a right to expect.” GLRH further stated: “Since the assessment we have already implemented several key improvements. “For example, we have strengthened our auditing systems so we can better demonstrate actions taken to mitigate risks, made upgrades to the building and implemented more robust systems for the management of medications. “Most recently a new manager has been appointed who will continue with implementing our improvement plan and embedding the changes already made.”