A Nottinghamshire care home has bounced back to a 'good' rating after it was put in special measures in the midst of Covid. Greenacres Grange in Worksop said staff had been brought "closer together" after a "massive struggle" during the pandemic.
The home, which provides care for 28 residents, received a 'good' rating across the board following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on January 26. It marks a significant improvement on its previous rating of 'inadequate' in April 2021, which resulted in the service receiving two warning notices.
In the most recent report published on March 8, staff told inspectors that morale had since improved. Quoting a staff member, the report says: "Staff morale has been a massive struggle, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. But I do believe the difficulties have brought us closer together as a team. Our staff team now has such a passion to try and be better and offer the best care we possibly can."
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Natalie Reed, the CQC’s interim head of adult social care inspection, said staff had worked hard to create a culture which "promotes high-quality care and learns from mistakes to reduce the chances of them happening again".
“People in their care were safe, had appropriate care plans in place, and received the support they needed," she said. "People’s prescribed medicines were well managed, which was a significant improvement. Staff interacted positively with the people they provided care for and we saw that people's dignity and privacy were maintained, whilst being encouraged to be as independent as possible."
The findings are a stark contrast to those laid out in the report published last year. The CQC rated Greenacres inadequate in safety and leadership, and with requires improvement in effectiveness. It found that the home sometimes ran out of medicine, and workers told inspectors that residents had lost weight because of low staffing levels.
One member of staff said at the time: "I will be truthful with you; the staff morale right now is at an all time low." Praising the turnaround at the home, Ms Reed continued: “Overall, we would like to acknowledge the improvements at Greenacres Grange and encourage the team to continue their hard work. We will monitor the service to ensure these changes are fully embedded.”
