Care home near Biggleswade ‘needs improvement’ after latest CQC inspection

The Limes Care Home in Henlow ‘Requires Improvement’ according to the latest rating by the Care Quality Commission.

The care home, located in the High Street, Henlow, was inspected in September and October with a report published on November 2 finding the service needs improving in three areas including Safety, Effectiveness and Leadership. It was rated Good in Caring and Responsiveness.

The following ratings were as follows::

> Is the service safe - Requires Improvement

> Is the service effective - Requires Improvement

> Is the service caring - Good

> Is the service responsive - Good

> Is the service well-led? Requires – Improvement.

The Limes Care Home provides personal care to up to 28 people, supporting people who may be living with a physical disability, mental health needs or dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 19 people using the service.

The report stated: “The manager and providers’ audits were not always effective in identifying where improvements needed to be made at the service and that staff were not being recruited in line with current legislations.

"Safeguarding incidents and accidents were not always being reported to the correct authorities”, it added.

"Some risk assessments and care plans were not detailed enough to guide staff how to support people safely and staff competency to perform their job roles was not being monitored effectively.

"People had not been asked for consent about CCTV. This meant people were not always supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not always 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.

However the inspectors found people and relatives were happy being supported by staff at the service. One person said, ''Staff are kind and always have a listening ear. We are all like a big family.''

The report further added people felt safe using the service and staff knew how to support people safely. There were enough staff to support people in a timely manner. Staff administered people's medicines safely. The service was clean, and staff followed good infection and prevention control measures.

People were also supported to eat and drink in line with their dietary needs and staff contacted health professionals if people needed this support.

Overall the service was designed to meet people's needs.

The new manager and provider were passionate about the service and supporting people in the best way they could. They took immediate action to put improvements in place based on our feedback during the inspection. People and relatives were asked for feedback about the service and staff worked with other professionals to help people achieve good outcomes.

Krishan Pandey, manger at the home said: “The Limes Care Home was taken over by the new owners and the management in March 2023.

“From that time we have made several positive changes within the home, to improve the safety, care, and comfort of our residents.

“We have done a lot at the Limes and would like to invite people along for a visit to see the transformation.”