Eastbourne Care Home

Updated 4 November 2024

Date of assessment: 2 December 2024 – 3 January 2025.

The service is a care home which is registered to provide accommodation with personal and nursing care for up to 41 people. There were 29 people living at the home at the time of our assessment. This responsive assessment was carried out due to risks identified in relation to clinical oversight and governance.

We found 4 breaches of the regulations relating to safe care and treatment, safeguarding people from abuse and improper treatment, staffing and governance.

A new provider had acquired the home in August 2024. They acknowledged the difficulties staff had encountered whilst the home had previously been in administration and spoke about the support which staff now required. Due to the concerns identified during the assessment, the provider chose to suspend admissions to the home to allow improvements to be made and embedded to ensure people’s safety.

Risks had not been fully assessed, monitored or managed. An effective safeguarding system was not in place to ensure people were protected from the risk of abuse. We identified shortfalls with staff practices. The provider had put an action plan in place which included a clinical education programme and had recruited and brought in a senior management team to oversee the service and implement improvements.

This service is being placed in special measures. The purpose of special measures is to ensure that services providing inadequate care make significant improvements. Special measures provide a framework within which we use our enforcement powers in response to inadequate care and provide a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of the care they provide. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment. Full information about CQC's regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.

Updated 4 November 2024

We received concerns from 3 people about the practices and attitude of certain night staff. One person told us some night staff were “unattentive and unpleasant.” We asked the manager to refer the concerns of 2 people to the local authority safeguarding team for investigation.

Whilst people expressed general satisfaction with their care during the day, our assessment found care did not always meet the expected standards. We found people were not supported to receive their medicines safely. Urine and blood samples had not always been obtained and sent promptly for analysis. This had led to a delay in one person receiving treatment for a urine infection.

We identified shortfalls relating to the assessment, monitoring and delivery of care relating to people’s specific medical conditions, meeting people’s social needs and their nutritional and hydration needs which posed a risk to people’s health, safety and wellbeing.

Records did not always demonstrate how complaints and concerns were fully addressed and investigated. Processes were being embedded to support people and relatives to provide feedback and raise any issues.

Several staff told us more activities were required to meet people’s needs. Records did not always evidence how people’s social needs were met.

We observed positive interactions between people and staff. Staff spoke affectionately about the people they supported and we also received some positive feedback from people. One person told us, “I feel very safe – staff are good.”

There were no restrictions on visiting. People could see their friends and family when they wished.