'Poorly managed' care home downgraded by CQC

A CQC inspection was triggered at Ferguson Lodge after a resident suffered a "serious injury"

A care home has been told it "requires improvement" after a number of risks were found by the health regulator.

Ferguson Lodge, in Newcastle, was described as "poorly managed" by inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The inspection was triggered after a resident sustained a serious injury, which is being investigated separately.

The care home's owner said it takes the "safety and welfare" of residents seriously.

Inspectors found shortfalls regarding the management of medicines, safeguarding and the need for consent.

The CQC's deputy director of operations in the north, Linda Hirst, said: "What we found was a poorly managed service where improvements are needed to ensure people remain safe in the place they call home."

Ferguson Lodge, based in Old Benwell Village, offers accommodation and care for about 46 residents, including people with dementia, physical disabilities or sensory impairment.

Equipment checks

The CQC said staff sometimes left residents in chairs while they performed other tasks and found safety checks on wheelchairs and bed rails were not undertaken.

Medicines were not managed safely, and quantities of remaining medicines on site "didn’t always match the records of doses administered".

The inspection was carried out after the CQC was informed a resident had been "seriously injured".

After the inspection, it was told of another incident where a second person had been injured.

The two incidents were not examined during the inspection but further investigations are taking place to determine whether regulatory action is needed.

Philip Ewart, managing director of Ewart and Dilworth Ltd, which owns Ferguson Lodge, said: "Whilst we do not accept all of CQC’s findings we are, and always have been, committed to ensuring the highest possible standards of quality and safety and as such, we implemented a comprehensive action plan focussed on continuous development and improvement of our service."

He added that the care home had received a band 1 quality rating from Newcastle City Council, and he looked forward to it being re-inspected by CQC.