Inspectors say Rushden care home needs to improve

A Rushden care home says it is working on a number of action points after inspectors said they need to improve.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited Higham House Nursing Home in Rushden,in February.

Following the unannounced visit, they rated the home in Higham Road as requiring improvement in all five areas of whether the service is safe, effective, caring, responsible and well-led.

It is the same rating as a previous inspection carried out in January 2019.

A summary of the report for the home, which can accommodate up to 30 older people, said people were not always supported by enough staff to meet their needs, and while the home was clean and a programme of refurbishment was in place, the environment was not dementia friendly.

Inspectors said people had limited opportunities to take part in activities or follow their interests, and people were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives.

However, they also noted that people were treated with respect by staff who were 'kind, caring and knew people well.'

They said the registered manager was approachable and people knew who to raise any complaints with.

Genext Healthcare Solutions Ltd took over as the new providers of Higham House Nursing Home in November.

Director Suresh Konduru said: "We have been working towards a number of action points that Northamptonshire County Council (NCC), Care Quality Commission (CQC) have asked the previous provider to comply with.

"We engaged with NCC improvement teams and complied with all the action points as per their improvement plan.

"Recently, we have had a visit from CQC and they have asked to improve on person-centred care especially during mealtimes and embed robust governance and management systems.

"Both of these action points have been met at the end of March 2020 and ensuring that these recommendations are adhered to in a sustainable manner, person-centred care and quality assurance is delivered.

"The staff have been compassionate and committed in providing the care that our much deserving residents require in a homely environment.

"We can't thank them enough for their support and commitment during this terrible time when the world has come to a standstill but our committed staff have put their lives and chose the professional commitment to the personal commitments.

"At Higham House, we have been able to bring in some special measures in terms of requesting the families and visitors stay away from visiting the home from 16 March 2020, and the home manager and staff have been offering phone service to family members should they wish to speak to or see them online."

Suresh said the home has numerous good things and good practices, and added: "Despite our limited number of residents for the months, we are still able to offer our best support and resources to the staff to retain the current good practice and enhance it further to provide a person centred care in a safe and caring environment."

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