Whitegates Care Centre Limited

This CQC report details an inspection of Whitegates Care Centre, focusing on safety and leadership. The inspection was prompted by concerns regarding the quality of information about residents' needs and care. While staff are recruited safely and understand their safeguarding roles, and the home is generally clean and hygienic, the report identifies areas where care processes and governance systems require improvement to ensure consistent and safe resident care.

On safety, the report highlights that not all risks to residents' health and wellbeing were effectively managed. This included instances where pressure-relieving mattresses were not set correctly for individual needs, and medication management had some gaps, with administration records sometimes incomplete and lacking necessary details. There was also an issue where some medicines prescribed 'as and when required' lacked clear guidance for staff on their administration.

In terms of how effective the care is, the transition to a new digital record system has led to information being spread across multiple platforms, creating inconsistencies. This made it difficult to be certain that residents were receiving care as planned, with one example showing conflicting information regarding resuscitation wishes. Some care guidelines also lacked clarity, particularly for residents with diabetes, creating a risk of care not meeting individual needs precisely.

Regarding caring practices, the report notes that residents and their relatives have opportunities to share their views, which are acted upon, and communication with relatives is generally good. Staff receive good support and work well as a team. Residents are supported to have maximum choice and control in their lives, with policies in place to promote this.

In response to how responsive the service is, the home faced challenges with the Discharge to Assess scheme from the local health trust. Inaccurate or insufficient information from the hospital sometimes meant staff could not effectively plan care, and there were issues with communication and frequent changes to discharge plans. The provider has acknowledged these pressures and is working with the hospital and local authority to improve coordination.

On how well-led the service is, governance systems were not always effective in identifying shortcomings. For instance, medication audits had not flagged the issues found, and staff carrying out audits sometimes indicated that protocols were in place when evidence suggested otherwise. The report notes the provider is actively addressing these issues, including completing the transition to the new digital records system and improving the quality assurance process.