Care home hits back at CQC after ‘Requires Improvement’ verdict

A care home in Burnham has hit back at the care watchdog after being slapped with a Requires Improvement rating – branding the report ‘inaccurate and incomplete’.

Sunnybrook Care Home, in Burnham Lane, provides care for adults over 65 years old and with dementia.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited Sunnybrook in June last year and published its report on January 14, when it rated the service Requires Improvement.

The watchdog said this assessment took place ‘due to concerns received’ about people’s care, risks, medicine, staffing and oversight.

It said the provider ‘was in breach of legal regulations’ on some of these issues.

The CQC said Sunnybrook did not always follow its own policies or best practice guidance – not ensuring the building and equipment were safe to use, with further safety concerns raised over medicines records keeping.

This put people ‘at increased risk of harm’, the CQC wrote.

More needed to be done around tidying the environment and further refurbishments, the watchdog wrote, as it ‘was not always dementia friendly.’

Sunnybrook needed to improve staff deployment and how training needs were managed in order to meet residents’ specific needs, the CQC said.

People living at Sunnybrook were involved in reviewing and planning their care – but the CQC was ‘not assured people’s views and decisions were fully considered.’

Some risk assessments ‘did not always contain accurate information’.

Moreover, the CQC said it was not always clear that the staff were working well together to minimise ‘risks of a closed culture’ – that people received support based on transparency.

As part of its enquiries, the CQC spoke to several people using the service, who said they were ‘generally happy’ with their care.

However, the assessment found people ‘were not always supported to have choice and control of their lives.’

Though Sunnybrook sought feedback from residents and relatives ‘there was no real structure’ to show how it used the feedback to improve the service.

Moreover, residents ‘did not always have meaningful opportunities to pursue their interests.’

A spokesperson for Sunnybrook Care Home Limited said: “Sunnybrook Care Home is proud of the high standard of care we provide to our residents and the dedication of our staff team.

“We were disappointed by the overall ‘Requires Improvement’ rating issued by the CQC.

“Our legal advisers have formally challenged aspects of the inspection findings, and the matter remains under active legal consideration.

“We believe the published report is inaccurate and incomplete, as relevant evidence was either not requested during the inspection process or not taken into account when it was provided.

“These concerns have been raised through the appropriate legal and regulatory channels.

“The wellbeing, safety, and dignity of our residents remain our absolute priority.

“We continue to operate in line with regulatory requirements and are fully committed to working constructively with the CQC to ensure an accurate and fair assessment of our service.”

A CQC spokesperson said: “As with all inspection reports, the provider had an opportunity to raise any inaccuracies during the factual accuracy process.

“As part of that process, they did submit comments, which we reviewed prior to the publication of the final report; however, no additional evidence was submitted to demonstrate that our findings were inaccurate.

“As such, we are confident the final report is an accurate reflection of the level of care being provided at Sunnybrook Care Home Limited.”