An Accrington nursing home that had been placed in special measures still needs to make more improvements, a recent inspection has said.

Mapleford Nursing Home, based in Bolton Avenue, provides personal care and nursing care for up to 54 older people, younger adults, people with a physical disability, sensory impairment or mental health support needs and people living with dementia.

At the time of the inspection, 28 people were living at the home. 

A September Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection has found the care home ‘requires improvement’ a slight improvement from the ‘inadequate’ rating it was handed at an inspection earlier this year.

Responding to the report, Mapleford Nursing Home said it was ‘determined to deliver high-quality care and are investing in staff.’

It also pointed out some of the positive comments made by inspectors.

The inspection said: “People's medicines were not always managed safely and in line with the provider's own policy. 

“We observed enough staff on duty to meet people's needs, although, staff felt the staffing levels could be increased. Staff had been recruited safely to ensure they were suitable to support people living at the home. 

“All required health and safety checks had been completed and infection control procedures were being followed. Staff had received safeguarding training and people felt safe living at the home. 

“People and their relatives had not always been involved in the care planning process and care plans needed to be reviewed to ensure they were accurate; we made a recommendation about this. 

“People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not always support this practice.”

The report said staff had received appropriate training for their roles, adding: “Significant improvements had been made to the design and decoration of the service.

"Further improvements were needed to systems for auditing, assessing, monitoring and improving the quality and safety of the service. 

“Policies and procedures were in place to guide staff. However, they were not always being followed. Staff did not always feel able to approach the management team with concerns. 

“The provider had a development plan which they were working towards to improve the service.

"People told us they had no complaints and felt Mapleford Nursing Home was a nice place to live.”

The last inspection in  January this year deemed the overall services ‘inadequate’. It had been rated as ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in November 2020.

In September, the inspectors said they spent time in the communal areas observing the care and support provided by staff. 

They said they spoke with four people who use the service, seven relatives and 15 members of staff including care workers, senior care workers, team leaders, clinical lead, housekeepers, activity coordinator, maintenance, registered manager and the nominated individual.

The report says: “The overall rating for the service has changed from inadequate to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.”

With regards to the service being ‘well led’ the inspection said: “At our last inspection we rated this key question inadequate. At this inspection the rating for this key question has remained inadequate. 

“This meant there were widespread and significant shortfalls in service leadership. 

“Leaders and the culture they created did not assure the delivery of high-quality care, managers and staff being clear about their roles, and understanding quality performance, risks and regulatory requirements, continuous learning and improving care.”

Mapleford Nursing Home, which is managed by Krinvest Care Group, said it was pleased to receive some positive feedback from the inspector, following the inspection. 

This included comments that ‘staffing levels were safe, and in line with a dependency tools’ and ‘individual risks were manage safely and staff were aware of people’s specific care needs.’

The care home said: “We are undergoing continuous improvement and welcome visitors. 

“We are determined to deliver high-quality care and are investing in our staff and our environment to ensure this is delivered. 

“In addition, we are implementing complimentary digital technologies with Care Vision and working in partnership with the local authority to raise the standards across the board.”