Sittingbourne: Care home rated inadequate put into special measures

Pine Lodge Care Home in Sittingbourne has been placed in special measures

A care home rated inadequate has been put into special measures by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Pine Lodge Care Home in Sittingbourne will now be placed under close review following the inspection in July.

The unannounced visit was prompted partly by concerns about access to health care, medicines management and ineffective checks and audits.

Eleanor Healthcare Group, which runs the home, said it had responded promptly to the report.

The care home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 59 people.

CQC inspectors found several areas of concern including:

• Not enough staff with the skills, competencies and experience to meet people's care needs

• Medicines were not safely managed and sufficient recruitment checks had not been made on staff

• People did not have all their risks assessed and staff did not have the information they needed to provide for their needs

Neil Cox, CQC deputy director of operations in the South, said: "We found significant issues in many areas of the home including a lack of leadership.

"Following our inspection, we reported our findings to the provider, so they know the areas where we expect to see rapid improvement.

"If sufficient progress hasn't been made, we won't hesitate to take further action to ensure people's safety and well-being."

A spokesman for Eleanor Healthcare Group said: "We have responded promptly to the valuable insights collected from the recent inspection and subsequent report.

"The report highlights areas necessitating improvement and has moved the organisation into swift action."

It said it had prioritised training for all staff "to improve skills, knowledge, and awareness of best practices".

The introduction of a system to implement electronic care planning and care management would take place in October, it added.

And "environmental upgrades" were being planned, along with a programme "to enhance quality of life".

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