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Abstract

A care home where £100,000 has been spent on a four-month refurbishment has been told it “requires improvement” by a watchdog.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected privately-run Cheverton Lodge, in Archway, after concerned visitors blew the whistle on the “high turnover of staff and unstable management, communication between healthcare professionals, relatives and staff, [and the] quality of food.”

A report by the CQC found the home needs improvement in three key areas – safety, effectiveness and leadership.

One regular visitor to the home described the latest refurbishment as “window dressing” and told the Tribune money was being wasted.


“They would be better off spending money on a big recruitment drive,” he said.

Islington Council has a contract worth £840,000 a year with the care home owner Barchester Healthcare and is expected to approve a new five-year contract – worth £4.3million – later this month. Barchester, one of the biggest independent care providers in the UK, made a £12.9m profit in 2014. There have been four interim managers since May at Cheverton Lodge, close to Archway Road, and a high vacancy rate for nursing staff, leading to an “unstable management structure”, the CQC says in a report published last month.

Agency staff have been used to make up staff numbers but this “impacted on the continuity of care and communication between staff and healthcare professionals.”

In one instance, inspectors found that a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness three weeks prior to their visit did not have a risk assessment covering her condition.

Some relatives were unsure about raising concerns and felt that raising concerns could have a negative impact on their relative, the report said.

Jenny Moore, founder of care campaign group Your Voice Matters, said: “It is often difficult for families who have a loved one in a home to raise concerns without fearing the consequences.”

The 52-bed home provides nursing and personal care for up to 46 older people and six young people with physical disabilities.

Inspectors, who visited the home in August and September this year, were made aware of concerns around the quality of record-keeping and handover notes between staff.

“On checking people’s records, we found a number of discrepancies in what had been recorded, which could lead to confusion among staff,” the report states.

Instances of incorrect information included one of a resident’s risk of choking and another on a resident’s mental capacity.

When assessing whether Cheverton Lodge was “caring” and “responsive”, inspectors said it was good on both counts. Food was found to be app­etising and of good quality.

A spokeswoman for Barchester Healthcare said: “We have recently undertaken a wonderful renovation of Cheverton Lodge – residents and staff alike are very impressed with it. This rating from the CQC does not reflect our new look as the inspection took place while the refurbishments were going on. We are looking forward to and working towards an improved rating once another inspection takes place. We are fully committed to providing highest-quality care and we would like to extend a warm invitation to visit the home.”