Hawkhurst House

This report details the findings of an inspection at Hawkhurst House, a care home providing personal and nursing care. The inspection focused on safety, effectiveness of care, and leadership, following concerns raised about safeguarding, staffing, medication, and oversight. The report identifies areas where the service is performing well, but also highlights key areas that require improvement to ensure consistent high-quality care for all residents.

On safety, the home is generally well-equipped to protect residents from harm, with sufficient staff available and robust recruitment checks in place. Medicines are usually managed safely, and risk assessments are detailed, guiding staff effectively. Infection control measures are also robust, assuring the safety of residents and staff. However, there were instances where safeguarding notifications were not always promptly escalated to management, and some safety checks had lapsed temporarily due to staffing and pandemic-related issues, although these have since been reinstated with an action plan.

In terms of how effective the care is, the service has seen a decline. While needs are assessed and care plans are in place, there have been issues with staff competency, particularly with newer staff who sometimes lack the experience to interact effectively with residents, leading to distress in some cases. The service has recognised this and is implementing new coaching and mentoring roles for new staff, along with competency assessments, which will be reviewed at the next inspection.

Regarding caring practices, residents generally felt safe and well-supported by experienced staff, who engaged easily and confidently. However, some interactions with newer staff were described as poor, not meeting residents' social needs. The report notes that while residents were supported to have choice and control, on one occasion a safeguarding notification was not sent to CQC as required, though this was identified and rectified internally.

When considering how responsive the service is, residents and their families are involved in discussions about their care and their views are taken into account. Staff work collaboratively with other professionals to meet residents' needs. However, the report identifies that processes did not always ensure notifications about safeguarding were sent promptly to CQC, which could delay necessary actions.

Concerning how well-led the service is, oversight processes are in place, with audits aiming to address concerns. The provider is actively seeking to recruit a permanent manager. While some quality assurance processes are effective and help rectify oversights, certain new initiatives have not been in place long enough to fully assess their effectiveness. The report acknowledges the provider is taking steps to address identified areas for improvement.