Sir Aubrey Ward House

“We inspected the service due to anonymous allegations regarding poor care and abuse by staff at the service. We did not find any evidence to substantiate the allegations of abuse by staff. We did however identify shortfalls in care delivered.”

“The service was in breach of regulations in relation to Safe care and treatment, Safeguarding, Good governance, and Notification of other incidents.”

“The service did not have a positive learning culture. Incidents, accidents, and adverse events had not always been reported accurately or formally, meaning that people did not always receive safe care, supported to mitigate risks to themselves, or were safeguarded from abuse or harm. Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures required improvement, including the cleanliness of the environment. We also identified concerns relating to people’s medicines and the way they were managed.”

“People’s assessments were not always put in place in a timely manner, or complete with the most up to date information. People and their relatives were not always involved in reviews or monitoring of their outcomes.”

“Systems and processes within the service were not effective and did not identify the shortfalls found during the inspection. Leaders within the service did not always demonstrate a proactive approach to monitoring people’s safety and the quality of the service.”

“However, staff consistently demonstrated a caring and person-centred approach to their roles. Staff acknowledged their confidence in the new management of the service and stated they felt supported by the registered manager to carry out their roles. Staff supported people to access local healthcare services and knew people well. The newly registered manager and newly recruited home manager were responsive to our feedback during the inspection.”

“In instances where CQC has begun a process of regulatory action, we may publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded, if the action has been taken forward. We have also asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.”